Re: (OPE-L) indirect labor, the real wage, and the production of surplus value

[Paul Cockshott <wpc@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

-----Original Message-----
From: OPE-L [mailto:OPE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of gerald_a_levy
Sent: 06 November 2003 16:07
To: OPE-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: (OPE-L) indirect labor, the real wage, and the production of
surplus value

Paul C wrote:

> This relates to prices not to values. A fall in the price of oil would
> just be a redistribution of value between property owners unless it
was
> brought about by a change in the production technology.

So a fall in the price of oil couldn't have the indirect effect of
altering real wages?
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clearly it could, but of course what we are concerned with here
is not an increase in real wages, but a fall in the value
of labour power, real wages remaining constant.

Oil is a special case since it is typically sold above its
value, thus there is the opportunity to lower oil prices
towards their values by 'non-economic' means.

But this is not relevant to value theory.
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Are you assuming that real wages can only change when there has
been a change in labor productivity?

In solidarity, Jerry
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Clearly not. They can rise due to class struggle as well. But
from the standpoint of the theory of relative surplus value, one
assumes real wages are constant and looks at the effect on aggregate
surplus value of improvements in technology.