Abstract

BORSOI, Izabel Cristina Ferreira; RIGOTTO, Raquel Maria  and  MACIEL, Regina Heloisa. From excellence to trash: humiliation, bullying and suffering amongst footwear industry workers in Ceará, Brazil. Cad. psicol. soc. trab. [online]. 2009, vol.12, n.2, pp. 173-187. ISSN 1516-3717.

This article discusses humiliation and suffering experiences amongst footwear industry workers with histories of accidents or sickness related to work, but that also have a history of dedication and competence in relation to their enterprises. It is part of the results of a larger research dealing with "violence and work: accidents and humiliation in the footwear industry in Ceará State (Brazil)". The discussion is based on the discourse of three workers of two different footwear industries of Ceará State, selected from a pool of 20 interviewees with histories of humiliation and constraints. The results have shown that, in the case of these workers, competence and dedication to work, related to introjections of the excellence ideal, as it is reinforced today in the industries, led to a greater level of work environment risk exposure. Once their productive capacity shows some limitations, the worker is frequently victim of humiliations and constraints - resulting in work-related bullying. This kind of experience leads to feelings of betrayal, contempt and discard, despite the workers' effort and dedication to the enterprise. This can be one of the factors responsible for the intensification of mental and physical suffering in the work.

Keywords : Bullying; Humiliation; Work accidents; Footwear industry workers; Excellence ideal.

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