The Basis of industrial Unionism
The existing niotliid i)f wealth piodurtioM ;u:<l exchange, together ivilli all social relations re-suiting therefrom, including ali institutions, whether political, religious or judicial, has come to ho known generally a.s CAPITALISM. Wo find society to V divided practically into f.Vfi groups : Oiv owning the natural resources and ;i!l wealth-pro-ducing :igencie.,; the oilier clf}K::d,M'.t alone upon tin: iltun day to day ai its power U) produce wealth through machinery applied 1-, (!;<> ,-;nv ma.'eiials. On,- is flx; r-mployiiig clr-is; the othor tin* working r!a«. The doinhanl. section of the emj...iving class is kiiown liy the-U'chjiic;u t.'i-iii ..s! JM>t ! iMJKOJS, vvliilo thi! (.■:ili!!'!v pni[x-i't.y-!i'ss portion of tlm workers is c.-il].-,j n,.. l»l?l>I.K----TARIAT.. Tli<> lK>?iry;'*cii.i jrro-ip lives upon ]>rofits ; Uk- proletarian <«si-its niton '.vis;e,?. Tlio fact tliHt tlio ioik'is in-'hy :in;"iK)i. Uiml, «-I.i-lJiiiii» and siiMuT ;( fc first hiiiid. as tlio HiutU-l slaves, nor handed a portion (if their prmliwi. like th« serfs of aiifienfc dnys, lust rc-e-eiv-e in rot.urn fV>r llivir s"rv ; i-"s :i inonov paynioMt. has to f:!fiit;ili,t;i ■Ui« nai)i<-'«f T\ib; SYAGK SVSTKM. Tim in'corr.sts of !h." omploviui; rl.j.ss and llio working rl.-iss <-;mnut, jwissiljly |jiirinnriist\ :).s liot.ii :>i'i-> .-slrij-iiit; lo -:)litiiin a portion of tlv va\;i!ili th.it is creaLed. Wri.-ce one j;aiii:s tlio«(!i<Mloses. An ircrea.s" in the ratv of wagna, speaking, means a deereas n in tho anionnt- of profits, and vice versa. Tin l dillVrenee helwivn wayivs and Uie total produff 'if l-ihor represents unoaid !a!>or- profii."- I heft -SUIM'Hr.S V\Ll'K. Tlio con/In ! .:>ri.siii:; -is ;; eoiis'^iKiMH , " of [ho ditiinehicaHy nftixiscd inierests of the Uv;> classes !>r. ! ;iks onl in t Ik* form of s;trik"s and l-.ivk-< iit?, hovcolts, mid hliifklists, and and siiiiilar ncti'ins more or less approach in.' a slatt* of rxiual warfare. All th(\s« arc niiiiiifpsliilioiu of 'J!!! I ', CLASS STJIV(U;LIO. Tn sell in;; t.keir l,\hor ;i(nver llie workers are forcfd to part with it- for a price thai, nowhere approximates the amount of v.-oilth which they create, but rather tends to he (lie ('univalent of the ajno'ijnii it, iales to cjeaix , them. In othi'i" words, they receive (Munich of tlio modi urn of cxch;;nu,<' to alLiw tln-ie to purchase. Uio iM-cessjiry hmhl, clolliiou; and slielter io ii t> tl:c;n to lot urn to
tlicir bask (lie next morning and t» oimble then to replace thoniselvoft .villi otlior proletarians when they ftrtl deemed unlit for tin- v«ocw«»» This price is conditioned by suppi.; **vi demand, l).v tho .standaed "1 living in tt country or section of country, and riifr an eoiioinie law which }.i«!ds ON'l/f whore competition reigns sii,." v «mo w the labor market. Tlic labor power nf tlio woikors i* * commodity wliich is bought and soM upon the lalior market, but the important (ViiTomilco botwei'n this and ofhrr commodities is that Istlmr po\v<>r v »vrii|)]>od up in luinnn Hcsh an<l Ijlood, ;uid lias (lie r;i|);ibilil v of consri;>lls that it can oi';iw to !>c a <"oinmodity tliroiiirh cla>s Upon those who now i-ealisi , this rosl« til lit !jiir<l<n of making other toilers conscions of the .same fact ; they must .strive to ci-cale CLAiS CO\S('IOUSNKSS. The citation of <-lass coti.seioiistifsu, while the jiiOM'iit stni^i!;l<» ; firings ne:ir<M- I'ie d;iy when society will lie freed t'roin class rule. Clam consciousness eiealcs a schdarity ain-oi the j)i'o(lueers which bears tlw n.vio i'ela!i')ii in stiuetnre n* niorlar does to luick. It cemeiits th« iiuli\'i(lii.'il entities into an in-eparable whole. II is one of tli" >o the biiil-diii" , of a i !l, w soci"l \ ivitlii.it Hie shell of the o'<l--:. society in which all who are r.hvsic ,!!y able sliafl be uselul producers and in which the workers shall receive the 1 ul! equivalent of their social product. The foregoimi in is the basis upon which r< sis ll'e Industrial Union which is if) ii.'.jlili i.l'c eviM-ydfiv battlea of lli: , ( wa:.v ; -workers and which is to fuixtiiv] a.- a in , iv variety when the (ncrlhrow of caniialisni is an necom]>li.sh< ! ,'iiiL. ■- '! i![ln.-.;j'i.il Worker."
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Bibliographic details
Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 67, 21 June 1912, Page 5
Word Count
655The Basis of industrial Unionism Maoriland Worker, Volume 2, Issue 67, 21 June 1912, Page 5
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