It is commonly argued that firms in the advanced industrial economies are experiencing incentives to refashion the organisation of production in the face of technological change and the intensification of product market competition. It is claimed that rigid Taylorist systems of work reorganisation are being replaced by ‘high-performance’ production systems involving functionally flexible, multi-skilled workers. The chemicals industry is frequently portrayed as being at the leading edge of such developments. However, little is known about the consequences of multiskilling for workers in the industry. This article explores the interconnections between organisational change, skill acquisition and workplace industrial relations within a chemical plant. Workers’ experiences of and attitudes towards multi-skilling are examined. The study demonstrates the need for a historically informed analysis of skill formation that is sensitive to continuities in the organisation of production and the political dimension of training activity. © 2001 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
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