Re: Labor Accounting

[Justin Schwartz <jschwart@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

In addition, one might note that Marx has some very effective criticisms
of the labor-time system, urged against Bray (or is ir Gray?) in A
Controibution to the Critique of Political Economy. B or G, whichever it
was, envisaged a no-market labor-based rumuneration system. Marx objected,
to put it beiefly, that since labors are not commensurable by themselves,
they have to be made commsensurable in some way, which presupposes in
effect  a market that treats embodied labor content as value. Too bad Marx
forget this sharp objection when he gor around to the Critique of the
Gotha Program 26 years later.

--Justin

On Tue, 30 Jan 1996, Robert Peter Burns wrote:

> This is being sent for a second time--PB
>
> Paul (Cockshott), is time spent laboring the only relevant
> factor in deciding remuneration in labor values?  You say that
> remuneration must be decided politically.  In a political
> forum aren't people going to raise not just time, but skill,
> degree of difficulty, intensity of effort, etc.  Is it not
> possible that sizable minorities will be outvoted on these
> questions, and that some exploitation will result?  E.g.
> dustbin men and sewage workers might shout and scream about
> what a dirty job they have, while others will say it doesn't
> require much mental dexterity.  Might not the labor of some be
> systematically undervalued by the majority?  This might be both
> transparent and hard to rectify.  On the other hand, if time
> alone is the relevant factor, won't those who work hard
> at a demanding task for an hour be "exploited" by those who
> work ill at an undemanding task for an hour.  I am not saying
> markets are any better, just that I am not clear as
> to how the problem goes away with labor accounting.
>
> Peter
> rburns@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
>
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