CONTROL AND DISCIPLINE OF WORK IN THE RUBBER COMPANY IN THE AMAZON, 1870-1930

Abstract

In the rubber company, the rubber tapper commanded the production process. The rubber tapper was a type of worker paid for production, whose engagement and commercial relationships could generate debt. However it was not indebtedness that defined the social relations of production, but rather the administrative forms of quality control and monitoring and discipline of work, aiming at maximizing productivity. The rubber tapper had strategies for dealing with debts. The turnover of the workers in the rubber company was slightly higher than that of the coffee plantation.