Precarious work and mechanisms of control across the Brazilian wind power supply chain

The aim of this thesis was to evaluate how mechanisms of control were used within the Brazilian wind power industry and across the supply chain. This thesis used Labour Process Theory as a lens through which to: explore how the structure of the industry impacted working conditions across the supply chain; address the gaps in the employment relations evidence base on these topics and in longitudinal research on the changing nature of employment within supply chains. It also engaged with literature on dormitory labour regimes and the power resources approach. This longitudinal case study of the Brazilian wind power industry found that precarious working and living conditions heightened managers’ ability to exploit workers through a combination of market, direct and cultural controls.
Semi-structured interviews and observations were undertaken from a critical realist perspective, which revealed that due to recent deregulation, the temporary nature of work and the remoteness of their workplaces, workers were largely unable to resist mechanisms of control, bargain for better treatment, or receive adequate union representation. Furthermore, working in remote locations cut workers off from basic infrastructure, clean and adequate accommodation, training, and social support from their families and often led to negative implications for health and safety. Workers’ precarious circumstances left them vulnerable to managers’ encouragements to overwork and being overly relied upon to learn on the job.
This thesis adds to existing theory through bringing together literature and knowledge around Labour Process Theory (LPT), dormitory labour regimes, precarious work, and power resources across the wind power supply chain in Brazil. It adds to contemporary labour process theory through extending the understanding of mechanisms of control in the wind power supply chain. Moreover, it advances knowledge on power resources and new forms of organising in the Global South. Although some of the insights from this study are generalisable to other similarly precarious industries, such as oil, gas, and heavy construction, the thesis also has implications for future research. It highlights the need to contextualise the dynamic power relationships between managers and workers to understand how workers are controlled and emphasises the importance of research across the supply chain to shed light on the multiple dimensions of precarity, as well as having important implications for Brazilian industrial policy, employment legislation and trade union representation.