ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book considers the context within which a discussion about labour markets and identity on the post-industrial assembly line can take place. It offers some historical background on Middlesbrough, how it was shaped, the role of industry in local life, and how its removal affected the town's prosperity and identity. The book examines the ethnographic description of life in post-industrial labour markets. It looks at life on the call centre floor, the management practices in place at Call Direct, how the work process is determined by the marriage of technological innovation and human monitoring. The book highlights how call centre workers engage in individualised acts of disobedience and rule breaking rather than collective forms of resistance. It also focuses on attitudes towards the job and the employer, why they choose to stay or look to leave and the idea of a 'real' career.
