A cooperação e a dimensão coletiva da atividade, em um sistema de exploração de minério de ferro.

This paper discusses the preliminary results of a research on the work of cable excavators in the extraction of iron ore. The research responds to the demand of the company, which seeks to develop a program of "high-performance" operators. Based on assumptions of the Clinic of Activity, using interviews, field observation, instructions to the look-alike and self-confrontation, we focus on the collective nature of the work, articulated with the notion of cooperation. That practical-theoretical alternative is opposed to the demand for individualized training, limited to the "operator-athlete". It is understood that the collective dimension of the activity bases the cooperation, structuring the productive process and the solidarity of the work teams. Preliminary results show that, although the organization does not privilege the logic of cooperation in the demands of productivity and in the preservation of workers' health and safety, it opens for the debate on this new perspective of collective work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]