Labour Power Flashcards
how labour relationships are socially constructed.
we created them, we gave them that meaning and we can change them.
Who is more mobile? Capital or labour?
capital. Money can be moved to china, but workers can’‘t move to china. Capital is more mobile, even more mobile because restrictions are
Is labour at the mercy of globally mobile capital?
- relative geographic geographic of capital
What happens when workers demand high pay?
Corporations can just move.
How are workers less mobile? what keeps them in place?
- Family/Friends/Social ties
- Cost
- Visa, travel
- Risk
How are workers less mobile? what keeps them in place?
- Workers are less mobile
- Importance of family and community
- Household decisions
- Attachment to place
- Regulations and restrictions on mobility
- between/within countries
- Recognition of credentials (or not) •Migration is costly; rewards uncertain
Why are not all employers mobile?
- certain sectors
- Companies need to extract as much profit as possible from fixed investments.
(but technology allows increased outsourcing and off-shoring of back office service jobs)
Lean production
????
- SEE TEXT BOOK
- an increase in part-time and casual labour
Who shapes labour markets?
The labour market is influenced by institutions that exist beyond the scale of the relationship between individual employer and employee.
The labour market is influenced by…….. (who shapes labour markets)
The labour market is influenced by institutions that exist beyond the scale of the relationship between individual employer and employee.
Who shapes labour markets?
•International agreements, eg. free trade•Labour laws enacted by government•Control over access to trades and professions •Public sector employment•Unions (worker agency
what are some labour market regulations?
employ (****D
The Labour Standards act
- doesn’t cover all workers
- temporary foreign workers
- agricultural workers and domestic workers
- some professions (lawyers, licensing offices)
Unions
protect all the workers in one place in one profession
Neoliberal labour markets
- weaker systems of vocational training & limited company involvement (we don’t have enough of it, should be options for eeveryone to develop skills to get a good job)
- Strong post-secondary & doctoral programs but few linkes to employers
- Short term employment contracts
- competitive labour market
- company based uncoordinated wage bargaining
Neoliberal labour markets
- weaker systems of vocational training & limited company involvement (we don’t have enough of it, should be options for everyone to develop skills to get a good job)
- Strong post-secondary & doctoral programs but few links to employers
- Short term employment contracts
- competitive labour market
- company based uncoordinated wage bargaining
- limited unions
Coordinated (german
- Strong systems of vocation ed
- Strong systems of vocational education with links to industry and unions
- Limited post-secondary and higher education, linked to employers and industry
- Longer term employment relations
- Unions, protection, employees play role in decision making processes
Neoliberal labour markets
(CANADA)
- weaker systems of vocational training & limited company involvement (we don’t have enough of it, should be options for everyone to develop skills to get a good job)
- Strong post-secondary & doctoral programs but few links to employers
- Short term employment contracts
- competitive labour market
- company based uncoordinated wage bargaining
- limited unions
Coordinated (german
(FRANCE) - Strong systems of vocational education with links to industry and unions
- Limited post-secondary and higher education, linked to employers and industry
- Longer term employment relations
- Unions, protection, employees play role in decision making processes (stronger unions, better union protection)
Coordinated (german
(FRANCE) - Strong systems of vocational education with links to industry and unions
- Limited post-secondary and higher education, linked to employers and industry
- Longer term employment relations
- Unions, protection, employees play role in decision making processes (stronger unions, better union protection)
- more likely to go to a job that corresponds to
Licenscing bodies
elements that regulate the labour market. gives people licensces
examples of jobs that are regulated
law
healthcare
food
Control over access to trades and professions
Foreign credentials, qualifications or experience not always recognized - why??
- protects local businesses
- concerns about educational standards
- Professional associations protect members
- Forcing immigrants forced into low skilled, low paid jobs (effect)
In 2014, the canadian (only for a few countries like UK, Australia etc.
However, the process is not
Public sector employment is ….
decreasing
Short term contracts
even the government is more and more short term contracts
Langara
the security, cleaner, the food services were not sub contracted out!!!
- no job security
Profit by charging more than they pay the workers
( amazon, wallmart, tim hortons, wendy’s) -often done by temporary workers
Flexible labour market
you can hire and fire people freely. Great for employers (no accountability to these employers). Workers work in one place and their employers are fro some place. But no job security for workers
Temporary work is increasing everywhere
In southern europe in particular
15-29 year olds, over 50% are on temporary contracts
Temp cont.
part of the reserve army of labour
Reserve Army of Labour
Unemployed or Underemployed people.
Function of Reserve Army of Labour
You can pull them into the market when you need them, and but them to when you don’t need them.
Short term contract for a couple of month, then you can change.
Functions of Reserve Army of Labour
- low wages - high demand for jobs
- lean production - employers can have labour but they don’t have to pay them in their off time
- a threatening reminder that your job can be temporary
Opposite of short term contract
Unionized job.
Advocate for better working conditions and generally raise the standards for all workers.
How the labour market is segmented
skill
pay
job security
race and gender
age
Chinese labourers for railroads
- certain benefits and standards
- alloed certain sectors
Segmentation of labour by PAY and SKILL
- Fordist era labour market
Fordist Era
50’s - 70’s
???
- breadwinner was the man
- he could buy a ford car
- Labour market was segmented into theprimary labour market and the secondary labur market.
(non white people werent allowed in unions, women werent allowed in unions)
Primary labour market in the fordist era labour market
- When unions have power but some people do get locked in due to seniority
Secondary labour market
-
Flexible labour market era 1970-present)
Core workers
Peripheral Workers
CORE WORKERS in
multi skilled, well paid
SECONDARY WORKERS in a flexible labour market
less skilled, low paid, hired or contracted as needed
Flexible labour market era did not have
unions
Neoliberal view of flexible labour market era
- hurt markets (unions)
In canada a union membership is
mandatory. this is good because you cannot divide the workforce and give people different benefits.
“RIght to Work”
unions prevent you from working because they keep you in that work sector (
- convincing workers that it is in their best interest
- they lit peoples access to jobs
- where unions are banned from forming (States)
“CUPE”
Canadian union public employees
: education, libraries
education
health care
Canadian Auto Workers (CAW)
One of canada’s largest and highest profile labour unions.
this joining together dem
Unions used to be
sector specific
Unions have lost power, so they have had to consolidate
like UFW which stands for : Union of Food and Commercial WOrkers
used to be a lot of manufacturing
they are located those new factories far away from detroit . because detroit has a strong knowledge about unions and their benefit
new factories are in right to work states. this practice erods the power of workers everywhere
