ABSTRACT
The productivity agreements of the 1960s had anticipated this trend toward flexibility of task. Improving flexibility of task can make a significant improvement towards cost effectiveness. The harsher economic circumstances of the 1980s and the implications of unemployment on work group power has placed the objectives of task flexibility firmly on improving cost effectiveness rather than diminishing ‘informality, autonomy and fragmentation of local bargaining’. Flexibility of task by reducing unnecessary boundaries between jobs can also improve productivity through reduced waiting time and reduced lost output through absenteeism. Flexibility of task amongst semi-skilled workers, which mainly affects manufacturing industry, can fall into the following categories: Horizontal flexibility, bringing together what were traditionally separate jobs at a similar job demand level into one generic semi-skilled job. Vertical flexibility: semi-skilled job holders undertaking other semi-skilled work which has traditionally been graded as less or more demanding.
