„Als Ganzes gesehen ist das Schiff noch immer Beispiel für eine Riesenhandarbeit“

Produktionssysteme und der Körper des Werftarbeiters während der 1970er Jahre

Abstract

English abstract: Even today shipbuilding has a very unique production system that is rooted in single piece production. It situates the shipyard somewhere between a workshop, a construction site and a factory. This peculiar environment had a profound impact on working conditions as well. Here the 1970s were a period of change not only seen from a more general societal perspective but also within the shipyards in particular. Shipyards came under increasing internal stress with wildcat strikes and growing demands for better working conditions. Furthermore from the middle of the 1970s onwards a deep shipbuilding crisis affected relationships within the companies in a profound way. By taking a specific look at working conditions as well as debates about the body of the shipyard worker, I aim to reflect on these changes in the context of the human machine relationship.