Tom Walker wrote:
The 'this' that's already happening is not the same 'this' that's nothing
new. Part-time, casual and short term contract work are most definitely not
the 'same thing' as a generalized reduction and redistribution of work time.
Are you seriously suggesting that insecure, part-time work with few or no
benefits amounts to the 'same thing' as, say, a ban on compulsory overtime,
extensive paid leave provisions for education and parenting, or the
establishment of a standard 32 hour work week?
I certainly hope I wasn't suggesting that, however, I was suggesting that
there has been an increase in parttime casual etc work and in Australia
these are growth industries. Increasing de-regulation of the labour market
will make this type of employment more and more common. The industries where
extensive overtime is currently being worked are industries in decline (in
Australia anyway). I do suggest that sharing work in declining industries
is unlikely to have much of an impact on unemployment or wealth distribution
generally. I certainly do support bans on compulsory overtime, extensive
paid leave provisions for education and parenting and the establishment of a
32 hour working week as issues of work justice, however, I do not believe
that this is going to be the panacea for unemployment or inequality in
wealth distribution!
I do in fact support a shorter working week, I was merely suggesting that
corporations are already allowing workers to have shorter working weeks
courteousy of parttime casual etc work, I was not suggesting that it was
happening on terms amenable to the labor movement! In talking to a group of
unionists last week, all casual, all on "shorter hours" it seemed more
appropriate to be focussing on issues such as job security rather than
"shorter working weeks". This is not however to say we should abandon the
struggle for better working conditions for those on permanent fulltime work.
