[Marxism] RE: EU Car Workers

["DoC" <donaloc@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jurriaan, a chara,

An interesting post. I couldn't help but notice recently a wave of
downsizing episodes.

What interests me is the nature in which globalisation is being used by
Management/Investors to co-opt unions in these large factories into
taking the lead in *selling* downsizing, longer hours or speed-up in
large factories. In the last week, I've noticed this trend in VW,
Alitalia,and US and Delta Airlines. The main difficulty is that unions
are facing a very real threat of massive redundancies if they don't cave
in to even worse conditions e.g. US airlines yesterday.

(As an aside, I am wondering when did Chapter 11 status mean that a
Judge can impose new contracts on staff? This is an appalling piece of
legislation).

In a sense this cooptive role of the trade unions is nothing new but it
is becoming almost a new paradigm of operation for the MNCs. It
obviously builds on the collaborative nature of most 'social
partnership' models in the EU. Blair's recent (minor) 'turn' back to the
Trade Union (very minor indeed) is an attempt to buy them off with a few
crumbs. Unfortunately, the toadies in the big four TUs in Britain appear
to have caved in with little fight. Now they're talking about focussing
on 'delivery' of what he has conceded.

Another strange episode I saw in today's FT - that the CBI (major
employers representative group and business lobby) are not only
complaining that Blair's Govt is committing to not raising the statutory
pension age but they are also complaining that he is not giving way on
their demands that Employers can enforce the mandatory application of
the pension age. Blair's 'flexibility' is too flexible for employers
demanding the right to pension off employees and take on cheaper,
younger staff. Any hope that the Blair Govt for once are growing a pair
is dashed by the CBI quote: "We recognise it's politically sensitive to
talk about a rise in the state pension age in the period before a
General Election" - the implication is that he'll say this to make sure
of re-election but not after that event...

Le meas,
DoC

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