WORKERS’ DISCURSIVE CONTESTATIONS TO FLEXIBLE PRODUCTION IN AUTOMAKERS IN THE SOUTH OF RIO DE JANEIRO FROM 2016 TO 2018

The article deepens studies on the flexible production in automakers in the south of Rio de Janeiro. The literature review is focused on the roles of multiple players - local governments, unions and workers - and on the impact of flexible production in the work conditions in automotive subsidiaries. The interdisciplinary approach adopted aims to unveil workers' voices that contest marks of the flexible production in the discursive ideal of the productive chain, of the regional development or production management. The qualitative methodology is grounded on a discursive approach with distinct levels of analysis. The data collection was accomplished through interviews with 38 individuals that represent local government, regional union and workers from subsidiaries. The analysis of the results expose contradictions in the quality and quantity of mass employment, outdated public policies used by the automakers Jaguar Land Rover, MAN, Nissan e PSA Peugeot Citroen, and the setback of working conditions at the operational level. By privileging the voices of workers, it was possible to unveil from the most appealing rhetorical elements of flexible automotive production the challenges in the face of discourses historically linked to economic and political agents in the south of Rio de Janeiro.

Keywords:
Automotive industry; Flexible production; Work; Qualitative research; Precariousness