This thesis examines changing relations in the defence industry. The defence industry is peculiar in important respects, not least because of the central role of the state in shaping the structure of the industry. During the Cold War excess capacity was preserved intact to meet state demands for armament technology and the defence industry was protected from more the more general decline of manufacturing in Britain. With attempts to restructure the arms complex in Britain, the disturbance of decades of structural stasis allowed a study of industrial change in concentrated form. A leading edge military electronics firm, Ferranti (now GEC-Marconi) and a naval repair yard, Rosyth dockyard (now Babcock Rosyth Defence), were studied to understand the precise forms industrial change took and its historically contingent nature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key sectors within the firms and primary and secondary documentary sources consulted. The first part of the thesis sets out the general field of study, considering general questions of restructuring and the nature of the defence industry. The historical pattern of defence industry in Scotland is also discussed. Traditional warshipbuilding was joined by advanced electronics capacity during the Cold War when Scotland became a strategic location for military support and production activities. Part Two contains the case study material. The historical development of each firm in its external relation to the state and internal workplace relations is set out. Experiences of restructuring are considered next, taking into account the impact of privatisation, marketisation and changing products markets. Changing contours of the workforce and worker resistance to and compliance with restructuring is discussed. Part three then interprets the case studies within a wider Marxist political economy.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:653711 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Law, Alex |
| Publisher | University of Edinburgh |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://hdl.handle.net/1842/21351 |
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