THE GRAVEYARD SHIFT

Abstract

Man is enslaved by time hut the night has always offered respite from the day, whereby man escapes from his work into the comforts of his home and family, enjoys his leisure with his friends, and recuperates from the strenuous work day. However in a modem industrial society like Singapore, time or rather night is a resource necessary for industrial production. The graveyard shift is a hallmark of secondary industrial expansion. Modern man is thus caught in a trap, if he wishes to enjoy the benefits of advanced technology, he must subjugate himself to a new industrial regime, one that is no longer oriented to the day, but to the night as well. This academic exercise has adopted a qualitative approach using participant-observation and in-depth interviews to study management's rationale for the third shift and the social impact it has on labour. It shows that the third shift like the relocation of the firm and industry in the new international division of labour is not merely dependent on the logic of capital, but also on other factors such as the role of the state, labour factors and industry characteristics. This study highlights the problems and disadvantages labour encounters in working nightshirt, specifically with respect to the worker's health, family, social and recreational life, which in turn condition its response. It also points to the dilemma facing management which is forced by economic necessity to run the third shift and yet having to deal with labour constraints.