Empowering Young Workers in Today's Economy and Labour Landscape
Explore the challenges and opportunities faced by young workers in the economy, politics, and labour issues. Learn about the critical role of unions, the historical context of the working class, the importance of young workers to unions, and the challenges faced by both youth and unions in the evolving world. Gain insights into the impact of new-liberal trends on society and ways to position young workers for a rightful place in the workforce of the future.
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Presentation Transcript
Positioning young workers for their rightful place in the economy politics &labour issues Prof Lucien van der Walt Neil Aggett Labour Studies Unit (NALSU) 2022
1. Opening COSATU young workers forums Challenges NALSU l.vanderwalt@ru.ac.za 2 2
Unions matter Largest, stable, formal civil society organisations (besides churches etc) 28% SA workforce Southern Africa & North Africa have highest unionization rates (after Northern Europe) Crucial to freedom struggle of (broad) working-class Proven role in winning rights, wage gains, liberation struggles Primary organisations of working-class majority 3 3
Unions & the long march of the working-class Decades of struggle to: Organise Unite and level-up Educate Win gains Shift wealth and power to working-class The inter-generational character of unions The surprising age of SAMWU 4 4
The importance of young workers to unions The future of the workforce, unions, nation New energy, experiences, ideas Preventing discrimination 5 5
Challenges for youth and unions Unions powerful despite attacks, erosion, internal issues BUT losing authority in larger society, working-class Old pipeline from youth activism to unions getting blocked Mass unemployment: over 70% of youth Social rupture between youth, past history of unions The patriotic history of SA The elevation of political parties The search for a new Moses 6 6
The new-liberal world Key parts: flexible labour, outsourcing, competition, job-hunting, poverty The isolated neo-liberal subject Politics of fear: crisis, short-termism, powerlessness, escapism Social decay in township, working-class communities, families Weakening of social bonds, mass movements, associational life Factionalism, intolerance, rage Woke capitalism 7 7
Social media and info-wars Advertising driven, censored, manipulated The show: trending, populist shock, mobbing war journalism and opinion-editorials Friends and friends The alienated consumer, not the organised people get rich or die trying : the pretty picture Imperialism and the news, ideas 8 8
The crisis of the left project Widespread disillusion in politics, socialism, change The collapse of the old state-centred models: Anti-colonial nationalism e.g. Africa Keynesian welfare state e.g. West Europe communism e.g. USSR, Vietnam It was not neo-liberalism that ended these . It was their crisis that opened the door to neo-liberalism 9 9
Current failure to have concrete, winnable projects Capitulation to neo-liberalism e.g. Mbeki, Clinton, Deng The rules have changed Beating a dead horse Crude identity politics not class solidarity Lesser-evilism and progressive capitalists The price of failure? Right-populism Suffering working-classes Eclipse of traditional formations: unions, parties, neighbourhoods Left crisis Johnson, Trump, Modi South Africa? 10 10
Restarting the long march Rebuild and revitalise unions Workers control Organise the unorganised, don t redivide the cake Alternative mass media incl. social media, video The working-class is not just (low-paid) workers Rebuild union-community alliances Service delivery Whistle-blowing Respect your neighbours 11 11
In unions and communities, (re)build Anti-corruption politics Solidarity and humanity Interpersonal relations End reliance on politicians, big men Win-win actions (bad ambulance example) Foster associational life Debate and political tolerance Self-help e.g. policing, clean-ups 12 12
The big picture: a new society Build capacities for self-governance Organising democratically Working-class autonomy from state, business, party system Education: Class consciousness Social theory: what s the problem? Develop a popular counter-culture Develop a popular counter-power 13 13
Build for a new society: from below Mass job creation, reindustrialisation, Not grants, delivery, dependence Phase out the township system, education Extend real working-class control over economy, society Collectivise, democratically plan State ownership? e.g. ESKOM Private ownership? e.g. Lonmin 14 14
