File spoon-archives/marxism-thaxis.archive/marxism-thaxis_1997/marxism-thaxis.9710, message 284


Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 13:21:26 -0400
From: malecki-AT-algonet.se (Robert Malecki)
Subject: Re: M-TH: Automation does not mean unemployment in non-capitaism


Dieter writes; on Europe...
>But automation does not have to mean increased unemployment and crime. In 
>Germany, for example, the work week is now on average 37.5 hours per week. 
>Workers are increasingly taking home less money in return for extra time 
>off. Germany is also the world's leader in vacation time: six weeks of 
>paid time off a year. 
>
>Although Germany's unemployment rate is higher than in the U.S., the motto 
>in Germany is that it's "better to share the jobs between more people." 
>The same goes for France, where a much-debated proposal calls for 
>companies nationwide to move to a four-day workweek, cut wages an average 
>of five percent, and take on 10 percent more workers.

Hi Dieter,
I was just wondering if we are living in the same Europe? I could almost 
understand you remarks on the states in regards to automation of the cotton 
fields linked to the blacks being  forced to migrate up into the northern 
cities..

But, on Europe you immediately become very vague about historical events. 
Why not talk about the inherent racism in the capitalist system in regards 
to immigrant labor. Because much of the post war boom for European 
capitalism/imperialism was buildt on labor immigrating or outright refugees 
both from Africa but the middle east, India, the southern European contries 
Turkey, Greece for example fleeing both wars and pogoms and stavation.

In fact in one aspect the American black slave probably had it far better 
off on the plantation then many a immigrant fleeing from somewhere to the 
post war boom in Europe.

And despite the rosy picture you paint about unemployment in Germany and 
France. This is hardly true for the millions of immigrant workers and their 
families. Today a viscious campaign of deportations, cuts in the social 
sector, and all the rest is being used not only to stop immigration, but to 
turn back the clock and deport as many immigrants and their families (not to 
the northern states like in the US during the modernization of the cotton 
industry) but out of the countries that many of them have lived in and 
worked in for years!

And Germany,France, Italy, Sweden and most of the common market countries 
are using this issue to devide the working class. I have been saying that 
here in Sweden it won't be long until we hear the desperate slogan of 
dispair "Burn Baby Burn"..So I don't get your enthusiasm over the shorter 
work week. In fact the shorter work week if implemented at all here in 
Europe is devoted not to immigrants because many of them no longer have a 
job. But too the nationals of the various countries..

The whole gist of your arguement about slavery must be seen in the light of 
the rise of American capitalism over the feudal remnants of the previous era 
connected to the industrial revolution. But in the period od imperialism and 
decaying capitalism there are NO solutions except socialist revolution and 
workers power to destroy this system.

If the abolition of slavery was directly linked to the industrial 
revolution, then what we are seeing in Europe is two things after 1917. We 
see Russian revolutions along the lines of the Bolsheviks in October !917 
and we see the other side of the pendle in the victory of facism in Germany.

Nothing you say about the shorter working week can stop the present forces 
in motion. In fact it will only be either Social Revolutions or facism, and 
wars of the imperialist type occasionally to redevide the pie as we are 
seeing the preperations everywhere in imperialist countries beginning to 
head down that path at and ever increasing speed..

Warm regards
Bob Malecki
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