A Csepel Autógyár fegyelmi ügyeinek vizsgálata (1950–1961)

Absztrakt

The study examines the corporate policy of discipline and punishment through selected snapshots from the life of management and staff at the Csepel Car Factory. Although the paper investigates the topic primarily from the viewpoint of the workers, it also touches upon some cases that involved middle and upper management. This latter is notable precisely because from the 1950s onwards both management and workers were liable to be demoted or brought to disciplinary action for a variety of reasons. The forced industrialization of the early 1950s, as well as the resulting performance pressure dictated by the corporate plans, provided the establishment with opportunities to “set examples.” These cases included the sanctioning of “voluntary leavers”, workers committing “Plan fraud,” or being late for work. The workers and their direct superiors attempted to solve most cases “among themselves” which suggests the existence of informal arbitration. The cases resulted in legal procedures proper, as well as party disciplinary actions against the factory’s employees. Cases involving the party state and the corporation’s internal disciplinary policies reveal that the practices of discipline and punishment in this period were far from standardized and egalitarian.