Unemployed seen as ‘expendable’

Press, 21 August 1978, Page 4

Unemployed seen as ‘expendable’

Most of New Zealand’s unemployed were without work not because of personal failure or inadequacy but because they are regarded as “expendable,” says a Christchurch sociologist, Dr Kevin Clements. Commenting on a paper prepared for the Australian and New Zealand missions and social services conference, Dr Clements said that unemployment and economic depressions were the inevitable consequences of capitalist, free market relationships. “While it is possible to I explain some unemployment, in terms of peculiar individ-’ ual characteristics such as the unemployment of the chronically disabled, these sorts of individualistic explanations do not help us to understand why unemployment is increasing and why New Zealand is in a profound economic crisis,” he said. Unemployment in New Zealand was a graphic reminder of the fact that New Zealanders lived in a classbased society where most people were relatively powerless and “voiceless” while a minority were powerful and influential, Dr Clements said. “It is the voiceless, pow* erless women, Polynesians and unskilled manual work-' ers, who swell the numbers of the unemployed.” Unemployment and wage disputes must be viewed with the understanding that ,the aim of the capitalistic

; production was not to pro-; duce goods and services that ! were necessary or useful but ; to produce that which could : ; be exchanged for money. “When production is tin- [ profitable workers are nor-' mally not hired or are ■ fired,” he said. "Employers will- resist' wage demands very stre- i nuously if they threaten the! I profitability of the company! I or generate cash flow prob- < . lems.” ; Wage disputes threatened ’that established order and! . precisely because of this I they raised questions about 1 I what was basic for survival, I in New Zealand society, Dr: Clements said. ;t ; j # The State’s role was am-: . bfguous because the main problem of State inter-! i vention in a market econo- : my was that the public were;! ; not served equally. i “The point is that the! I ! State unintentionally and in-1' tentionally serves capital; ; and this is very frequently j 1 ■jat the expense of labour,”! j ’jhe said. i “Workers and employers j , confront each other in the' 1 ■ labour market as unequals; ■ and this inequality is gen- 1 I eralised into social and poli- ; lical spheres as well. ; Employers and owners of!; ■. productive enterprises have < power but employees do! •not.” New Zealand was a class ; society, which meant that : class position determined i I what could or could not be ; done, and what was possible ■ or impossible. i

"Class societies like New Zealand are inherently exploitative,” Dr Clements said. Because greed, growth, productivity, and material prosperity were the dominant ideologies governing economic and political behaviour in New Zealand, the Government and individual capitalists were forced into debt to maintain a highconsumption, selfish society. ; Because unemployment was a symptom of a breakdown in capitalist social re-j lationships, it was obvious’ that New Zealand had to; move towards more co-oper-j ative socialist relationships' at all levels. "We have to move from a society that exploits people, as things, which plunders! the earth and resources with! little thought to the future,j towards a society where, people are valued as individuals and where production isj for fulfilment of basic needs,! not for profit. We have, to make positive steps towards becoming a more self-reliant! socialist society,” Dr Clements said. "Since the State has a bias in favour of capital ’ which it justifies in terms of ' national interest, this also acts against radical dis-! cussion of alternatives. "While it assumes some responsibility for looking after those unfortunate; enough to find themselves! unemnloyed, the State is unwilling to tackle unemployment at its roof,” Dr Cle-! ments said.