>> Increasing work intensity can increase productivity and reduce ULC. That is
>>>why corps.spend so much time trying to intensify the work process. If a
>>worker >tends two machines instead of just one, productivity increases and ULC
>>fall.
>
>As a non-economist, this seems wrong to me. Intensification means that the>worker is
>being forced to do more work, not that she is more productive.
>It is as if hours had been added to the working day. Economists don't call
>increased output purchased through a prolongation of the working day to be
>a productivity gain, right?
Rakesh - productivity is a technical relation - output per unit of input. how
you measure both numerator and denominator is varied and not uncontroversial
but intensification can lead to increases in labour productivity.
if output/person is the measure and if the longer day yields more output then
clearly labour prody has risen.
if output/person-hour is the measure then it all depends on whether the per
hour output is constant, rising or falling.
this is not to say anything about the class motives or meanings of increased
intensification.
kind regards
bill
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