Crisis, restructuring and labour flexibility the case of large-scale firms in attica, greeceinthe 1980's

Abstract

This is an attempt at relating the present debate on economic and labour restructuring of late capitalist societies in the 1980's, and on flexibility as the assumed key characteristic of such a restructuring, to the Greek case. Greece is considered as a case of a country that has not experienced in its past development any extensive Fordist forms of capital accumulation and economic regulation, and therefore as one where the ongoing 'restructuring' attempts, including the flexibility issue, have different character and prospects than those of other more advanced industrial societies. In establishing the above-mentioned evaluation, this study explores the character of the socio-economic pattern of Greek post-war development in relation to, and in the context of, labour patterns and labour relations as well as flexibility aspects. Through such an exploration it presents firstly: different reasons from those in advanced industrial societies, that led to the failure of the post-war Greek pattern of development after the mid-1970's, in relation to shifts in the regime of capital accumulation and socio-economic regulation which have taken place in Greece during the same period; secondly: the different content, character, and prospects of the restructuring attempts in Greece in the 1980's, aiming more at the restoration or the partial modification of past economic and labour patterns, including their flexible aspects, than at their radical and more advanced transformation. In doing so, it particularly pays attention to the character of the responses of both the large and medium/small capital, as well as of the Greek state, towards the crisis of the 1980's.This study's target is first to introduce the reader to the Greek case with reference to past and present economic and labour flexibilities, through the presentation of several aspects of the post-war political economy of Greece relevant to the topic, secondly to contribute, through such an exploration to a more advanced theoretical terrain for the Sociology of labour. Such a terrain may to a greater extent pay more attention to 1) particular modes of production and socio-economic regulation (including the cultural and political aspects) of different regions, countries and areas of socio-economic activities, and 2) on the content as well as the form of their interweaving and interaction with international processes.