Re: [ox-en] Labor contradictions
- From: Stefan Merten <smerten oekonux.de>
- Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2007 19:14:04 +0100
Hi Raoul and all!
2 weeks (18 days) ago Raoul wrote:
Hi Stefan (Mz),
[...]
I
am always surprised by the fact that you, as Stefan (Mn) and Michel,
have a tendency to identify "traditional social movements", or "workers
movements" ONLY with "unions".
Sorry if I gave this impression. In my personal experience unions
always played an at best parasite role to the social movements I have
been part of. (Forgetting at the moment those anarchist unionists -
which are a very special topic anyway.)
At a smaller scale, but in a more recent scope, (May 2007, would you say
the same for the fight of the Buenos Aires subway workers who, as a
reaction against the accord signed by the union and the concessionary
company, allowed passengers to travel free, without paying?
It is true that it is very difficult for workers fights to escape the
capitalistic logic and legality. Not only because of the
coercion/repression system which makes "illegal" any step outside that
framework, (the Buenos-Aires-subway corporation has immediately lodged a
penal complaint against the workers who animated the free travel
action), but also, and I would say mainly, because it is not easy to see
the possibility of an alternative framework.
Don't you think that it is at this level - the possibility of developing
a non-capitalist logic - that a connection between "peer production" and
the workers fights can develop? Even if, for the moment, things are only
at a germ level?
Let me say it this way: I think that the wish for Selbstentfaltung /
non-alienated living conditions is rather universal - at least in
Enlightenment-based cultures. It's then only logical that this shows
through in progressive movements here and there. I'd read your
examples this way.
But thanks for the reminder and let me say that I think (at least) the
French perspective on these things is really somewhat different than
for instance the German one. Good that we are all here to be able to
integrate all these perspectives :-) .
However, whether there can be much of a connection I'm not sure. I
tend to let practice decide.
Don't you think that this link is a key element to achieve the
"triple-free peer production", defined by Tere Vaden (23.11.2007) as
including "the ownership [not the best term] of the means of production
down to the level of electricity, the physical infra, etc."?
No, I don't think this link is crucial.
Grüße
Stefan
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