45

Subcontracting at Honda in Brazil : some aspects of the processes of work, discrimination and union organization Presentation is made of a case of subcontracting in Brazil involving the motor manufacturer Honda. The Author considers this case to be emblematic, as it is characteristic of a strong tendency in Brazil’s current employment market : the implementation of forms of production organization inspired by Japanese Toyotism. In Brazil, the introduction of sub-contracting has brought with it increased insecurity in the workers’ terms and conditions. That comes out of this report of a study of this process up to 2002. The article examines notably the emergence of conflicts between the different categories of employees who work together (from the car manufacturer and the subcontracting firm) and the negotiation of their status around the trade-union organization, one of the indicators of their attachment to different categories (workers and employees).