Productive reestructuration, union movement and participation: a study from the standpoint of the social representations

Abstract

The objective is to analyze the perceptions of the members of the Union of the Workers of the Mechanical and Auto-electric Industries, in the south of Minas Gerais. The purpose is to apprehend standpoints consolidated about of the participation process. To reach the objective of the work, it was used the Theory of the Social Representations as epistemological position of study, and of the qualitative analysis of interviews as method. The study initiates with a contextual analysis of the work in the contemporary society, as well as of the development of the trade unionism in this context. Later, some reflections concerning the participation concept had been presented. The analyses had disclosed the occurrence of two categories of representation: the factors of resistance to the participation; e, b) factors of impulse to the participation. It is given credit that this work can contribute for research concerning the phenomenon of the participation, mainly the union movement. Moreover, the work can assist in the understanding of the trade unionist and other institutions, regarding its strategies of action.