Trade liberalisation and the restructuring of work in post-Apartheid South Africa: A case study of BMW

This paper focuses on workplace restructuring in the post-Apartheid era. BMW South Africa is used as a case study to examine the restructuring of the workplace. In doing so, the paper examines trade liberalisation through the Motor Industry Development Programme that has created new economic conditions under which workplace restructuring at BMW is taking place. In trying to remain competitive. BMW South Africa is trying to change the nature of control and exploitation from coercion, based on the Apartheid workplace regime, to dynamic flexibility. In this strategy there are training initiatives within the company, as well as the introduction of teamwork and suggestion boxes. One of the key components of the flexibility strategy is a shift to what I describe as ideological flexibility. This shift shows up in new forms of ideological flexibility through the introduction of a workplace language, a new dress code and attempts to change workers' identities and subjectivity. However, remnants of the Apartheid workplace regime remain.