Date: Mon, 17 Jun 1996 08:31:54 +1000
From: sjwright-AT-vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au (Steve Wright)
Subject: Re: 12-Hr. Workday and Control over Time


Joshu-AT-,

I pretty well agree with what you've argued about shortening the paid
working week. I'm still uncertain however whether this should be connected
to a guaranteed income for all. I'm inclined to think it should be, but I
suspect that by its nature a guaranteed income is something that can only
be won across a society, whereas shorter working hours can (I think) be won
in a particular firm or industry. And what implications does all this have
for the unpaid work that we and others do *outside* the paid workplace
(most of us already know about the unpaid work we do within it)?

I thought your mention of 'reformism' in this context was also interesting.
Is it possible, as I think some Italian comrades imagine (and not only
them), to construct some sort of 'charter' of demands (a bit similar in
logic maybe to the trotskyists' ' transitional program') that introduces
apparently piecemeal gains which actually work to undermine the basis of
capital? Or is it just naive or even dangerous?

I know a  number of people on this list (e.g. Mauro) have written about
this before, but now might be a good time to have some further discussion.

Finally, I wonder how common the demand for shorter working hours is
amongst workers at present. Is it being raised where you live? Here in
Australia, for instance, it is not really discussed in the public arena. Of
course, that doesn't mean that workers aren't thinking or talking about it
. . .

Steve



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