IOLS and Sociology

... Faculty of Humanities, Development and Social Sciences Masters Degree Dissertation Research Report 02 December 2008 By Ntokozo Christopher Mthembu Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Arts in Sociology NB. ...

This paper critically scrutinises the South Africa’s historic skills development from pre-industrial communities to the globalised era that is characterised by international competition and new skills demand such as computer literacy. So, this paper emanates from the study that utilised in-depth interviews and semi-structured questionnaires in gathering data from government employees. This study shed some light on national policy intervention by the contemporary regime through policies such as the Employment Equity Act and its impact in redressing past injustices whilst promoting development that attempts to review issues such as the assessment approach in relations to reproduction of unequal society in South Africa. In addition, the study revealed that the lack of job security goes with the possibility of an immediate replacement by other workers from the “reserve army” that identifies the secondary occupations. It also reveals the legacy of racism in the shop-floor and its linkages towards guaranteeing daily livelihoods especially amongst the previously disadvantaged populace. Furthermore, it also reveals that the same old form of coercion that compels adult African persons to be continuously subjected in selling their labour power for meager wage that perpetuates racist cheap labour system. Finally, findings of the study confirm the theory of control, as it highlighted that technical control, emerges only when the whole production process has large segments of society are based on technology that paces and directs the labour processes.

This paper will attempt to dissect and identify the challenges faced by the wage labour and labour movement in this highly celebrated capitalist era especially by the rich. It would highlight the problems specifically related to wage labour and labour movements and their survival. It will also highlight the constraints resulting from globalised economic policies demands and problems of economic retaliation resulting from a drastic economic reform. The paper will further propose that, the working class organisations missed an opportunity for achieving their perceived goal of socialism in their respective localities.