Sociology

In the industrial cities of the nineteenth century, capitalist-owned factories were a major source of labour. In order for these organizations to run efficiently, workers had to arrive at work punctually and work consistently hard all day. The factory owners were able to ensure this by threatening their employees with fines, deductions in their wages, and even dismissal. The widespread competition for factory jobs meant that every worker was replaceable, and so they had little bargaining power to resist their employers’ orders. 547