<nettime> digital work FAQ v 0.6a digest

["nettime's_digestive_system" <nettime@Desk.nl>]

Date: Tue, 23 Feb 1999 00:10:19 +0000
From: richard@hrc.wmin.ac.uk (Richard Barbrook)

Hiya,

>On Fri, 12 Feb 1999, Richard Barbrook wrote

...along with Geert Lovink:

>
>> ... Formed within the digital economy, a virtual
>> trade union should emphasise new principles of labour organisation:
>> artisanal, networked and global.

>Seems virtuous, and presumably assumes that this new trade-union will not
>merely mirror the hierarchical, fixed, privileges of corporate-ownership,
>as it has in the past.

This is a very patronising dismissal of the hard work and - let us not
forget - real sacrifices which people made to create the trade union
movement. We find real problems with these organisations, but they're still
much more democratic than any corporation...

>Wouldn't mandatory (somehow) stock-options, or
>better-yet, a nationally guaranted-annual-income and fewer working-hours
>be a more 'efficient' focal tool of organization?

This is the more job for an updated version of the Social Democratic party
rather than a new trade union (even if its members contribute cash to such
an organisation).  Maybe after trying PGOs, we'll have to discuss our views
on republican democracy??

Later,

Richard

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Richard Barbrook
Hypermedia Research Centre
School of Communications, Design & Media
University of Westminster
Watford Road
Northwick Park
HARROW HA1 3TP

http://www.hrc.wmin.ac.uk/

+44 (0)171-911-5000 x 4590

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Date: Mon, 22 Feb 1999 17:35:00 -0800 (PST)
From: { brad brace } <bbrace@ncal.verio.com>

On Tue, 23 Feb 1999, Richard Barbrook wrote:

> ...along with Geert Lovink:
> 
> >> ... Formed within the digital economy, a virtual
> >> trade union should emphasise new principles of labour organisation:
> >> artisanal, networked and global.
> 
> >Seems virtuous, and presumably assumes that this new trade-union will not
> >merely mirror the hierarchical, fixed, privileges of corporate-ownership,
> >as it has in the past.
> 
> This is a very patronising dismissal of the hard work and - let us not
> forget - real sacrifices which people made to create the trade union
> movement. We find real problems with these organisations, but they're still
> much more democratic than any corporation...

The trade union movement certainly made a difference... then. And they
still may make a difference to a small, often restricted minority within a
given trade now. But I'm suggesting that in this digitally driven, global
economy -- one whose primary aim afterall is the _reduction of all
employment/production expense -- it might make better sense to focus on
the greater looming reality: that fewer and fewer paid jobs will be
available at-all and that some form of guaranteed income need become
common policy... rather than attempting to prop-up and weigh various
declining standards for a very few.

/:b
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