RedCeltic
5th February 2004, 20:34
I'm currently taking an interesting class at the university about globalization. We have to write these response papers every week or so on different topics. This week we were talking about the "reproduction of labor", I thought people would be interested in reading my response paper on this topic.
Globalization and the Reproduction of Labor
Labor is that which can be defined as a body which is responsible for producing products necessary for corporations to trade and create profit. In order for this labor to continue, or reproduce, certain fundamental necessities must be met. Workers need sufficient, steady livable income, social services, domestic labor that can reproduce more workers, and a safe clean environment in which to live and work in.
Globalization of capitalist markets has been liked to hampering each of these respective necessities that are required by the working class in order to reproduce the labor needed by the capitalists for the production that brings them profit. It affects the ability of workers to produce offspring that will be the next generation of workers that reproduce labor, and it affects the ability of workers to reproduce their labor in the same speed and efficiency it would have if provided with these necessities.
With the ability of corporations to “globe trot” in search of low wages, taxes, and restrictive laws, many of these necessities aren’t being met by workers around the world. Governments will lower minimum wages in order to attract corporations that will bring more jobs and boost the economy. This means as countries compete to be the most attractive to corporations, workers find themselves earning wages that do not sustain their family’s economic needs. This means that often there is no room for domestic labor that produces offspring rather than wages, and therefore the reproduction of labor is affected.
Lower environmental and safety standards which attract corporations also affect the reproduction of labor. It is more cost affective for corporations like General Electric to dump unusable waste such as PCB’s into the environment than it is to properly dispose of it. This environmental pollution lowers the quality of life for workers, lowers the birth rate and the life expectancy. PCB’s for example that had been dumped into the Hudson by General electric have been linked to skin ailments, reproductive disorders and liver disease.
Low safety regulations also attract these globe trotting corporations that benefit from globalization. While corporations save money on the production of their products by not investing the money required for safe production, the reproduction of labor required for this production is direly affected. On job accidents caused by unsafe working conditions can cause workers to loose time at work to recover from injury. This loss of time will cause loss of labor-power for production and loss of wages for the worker, and often loss of employment. All, reducing the workers ability to create reproduction of labor.
Lower safety standards, often also means lower regulation on work hours. Workers who are forced to work excessively long shifts have a lower quality of life as they have less time to do the things necessary to reproduce their labor on off time (Shopping, washing, cleaning, sleeping etc.) and are also more prone for a safety risk if they are working exhausted or sleep deprived, again causing possible injury and loss of work.
Globalization and the Reproduction of Labor
Labor is that which can be defined as a body which is responsible for producing products necessary for corporations to trade and create profit. In order for this labor to continue, or reproduce, certain fundamental necessities must be met. Workers need sufficient, steady livable income, social services, domestic labor that can reproduce more workers, and a safe clean environment in which to live and work in.
Globalization of capitalist markets has been liked to hampering each of these respective necessities that are required by the working class in order to reproduce the labor needed by the capitalists for the production that brings them profit. It affects the ability of workers to produce offspring that will be the next generation of workers that reproduce labor, and it affects the ability of workers to reproduce their labor in the same speed and efficiency it would have if provided with these necessities.
With the ability of corporations to “globe trot” in search of low wages, taxes, and restrictive laws, many of these necessities aren’t being met by workers around the world. Governments will lower minimum wages in order to attract corporations that will bring more jobs and boost the economy. This means as countries compete to be the most attractive to corporations, workers find themselves earning wages that do not sustain their family’s economic needs. This means that often there is no room for domestic labor that produces offspring rather than wages, and therefore the reproduction of labor is affected.
Lower environmental and safety standards which attract corporations also affect the reproduction of labor. It is more cost affective for corporations like General Electric to dump unusable waste such as PCB’s into the environment than it is to properly dispose of it. This environmental pollution lowers the quality of life for workers, lowers the birth rate and the life expectancy. PCB’s for example that had been dumped into the Hudson by General electric have been linked to skin ailments, reproductive disorders and liver disease.
Low safety regulations also attract these globe trotting corporations that benefit from globalization. While corporations save money on the production of their products by not investing the money required for safe production, the reproduction of labor required for this production is direly affected. On job accidents caused by unsafe working conditions can cause workers to loose time at work to recover from injury. This loss of time will cause loss of labor-power for production and loss of wages for the worker, and often loss of employment. All, reducing the workers ability to create reproduction of labor.
Lower safety standards, often also means lower regulation on work hours. Workers who are forced to work excessively long shifts have a lower quality of life as they have less time to do the things necessary to reproduce their labor on off time (Shopping, washing, cleaning, sleeping etc.) and are also more prone for a safety risk if they are working exhausted or sleep deprived, again causing possible injury and loss of work.