Just for wages? : working life in a textile factory

Abstract

The research problem dealt with in this dissertation concerns the orientation to work of Maltese textile factory workers. The hypothesis analyzed in this work is that Maltese textile factory workers have an instrumental orientation to work. It is also suggested that this instrumental orientation is an effect of alienation. The theoretical framework of this study refers to both "Marxian" and "Weberian" sociology. Accordingly, while this study focuses on Marx's insights on the phenomena of alienation, a consideration of Goldthorpe and Lockwood's concept of instrumental orientation to work is also made. In more concrete terms, the concept of alienation was operationalized in the light of Blauner's seminal work Alienation and Freedom (1964 ). This study also gives weight to the works of two distinguished Maltese sociologists, namely Professor Edward L. Zarnrnit and Dr. Anthony M. Abela. The methodological techniques adopted in this study were ( 1) a questionnaire which was administered to a sample of shopfloor workers in a factory producing schoolbags, pencil-cases, and school accessories, and (2) a number of interviews with learned personalities.This dissertation is divided into five chapters. Chapter one presents an introduction to what follows by making a critical analyses of changing world of work, the state of Malta's economy, and the role of the textile industry in the development of Malta. Chapter two gives a wide literature review of the concepts of alienation and instrumental orientation to work. Chapter three describes the methodological techniques used in this study. Chapter four is an analyses of the data collected by the questionnaire. Finally, chapter five makes a concluding synthesis of the outcomes of this dissertation. In addition to this material, several appendices relating to the questionnaire and the transcripts of the interviews are supplemented.