Abstract
Claims of a fourth industrial revolution have gained a wide range of attention from both advocates and critics. Much of the public discourse on the fourth industrial revolution is framed by academics and policy makers, the perspectives of ordinary workers has been neglected in these discussions. This dissertation aims to address this gap by analysing how the fourth industrial revolution is understood by workers. Analytically, this dissertation draws from Marxist theory in order to understand the role of technological advancements under capitalism. A qualitative research design is used to allow for an in-depth understanding of the workers understanding of the fourth industrial revolution. Purposive sampling was used to interview a total of twelve participants. Semi-structured interviews were conducted both face-to-face and over the telephone. This dissertation revealed four main findings. The first finding is related to workers understand the fourth industrial revolution. The dissertation reveals that how workers understand the fourth industrial revolution is centred around the effects they believe it will have on the labour process. The workers fear that the fourth industrial revolution will introduce technologies that will replace them in the workplace. It is further revealed that Covid-19 has intensified the threat and perceived threat of the fourth industrial revolution for these workers. The second finding is that workers propose that there is a need for skills development programs for the South African workforce to ensure that workers remain relevant in the fourth industrial revolution. The third finding is that there is a continued significance of a Marxist analysis of the role of automation in the capitalist society. This dissertation demonstrates the way in which the capital continues to determine what kind of technological advancements take place within the labour process and when these advancements happen. The fourth finding is related to how the trade unions featured in the research are reacting to the fourth industrial revolution. This dissertation reveals that there is a lack of sufficient organising around the fourth industrial revolution in National Union of Metalworks South Africa and that the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa is not providing enough information about the fourth industrial revolution to its shop stewards.
M.A. (Sociology)