Week 8 blog - by Tammy Finlay

Survival of the neediest 

for the greediest

Images from left: Child labour during the Industrial Revolution and Carmen Durán 

and other Tijuana factory workers display the products they assemble in TNC factories 

Increased productivity and the ‘all important’ increased profits, that come with new and improved methods of manufacturing and production, are motivating factors for capitalist economies. Modes of production have changed significantly over the past two centuries, from hand-made production to machine production, factories and assembly lines, to the rise of globalisation and Transnational Corporations (Kuttainen, 2013). At each stage, the worker is considered a mere commodity, and exploitation of the most vulnerable continues to be rationalised as an economic imperative.   

From the wide-spread use of cheap child labour at the beginning of the industrial revolution to the current practice in the globalised market, of ‘outsourcing’ labour to third world countries (Kuttainen, 2013), it seems that those with the power are intent on using it to further their own interests. As Dicken notes (2007, p.441) the “already affluent developed countries...sustained [or]...increased their affluence...and poor countries...remain stranded.”

Digital technology (the ‘third industrial revolution’) is changing the face of manufacturing through innovations such as 3D printing, as economies of scale are essentially made redundant (The Economist, 2012). New models simply require software changes, leading to “mass customisation” at low cost (The Economist, 2012). Similar to how Zynga.com lost some of its market share to the proliferation of game developers and apps on Facebook, digital manufacturing also potentially allows for the redistribution of power.   

(Warning: Video may cause projectile vomiting, particularly at 8.40)

In this video, originally posted on the Sydney Mining Club's website in September 2012, Gina Rinehart, laments the high wages in Australia and said “Africans want to work, and its workers are willing to work for less than $2-a-day” (The Age, 2012). Seriously, she said that. Seriously! 

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References

Dicken, P. (2007). Winning and losing: An introduction. In Global shift: Mapping the changing contours of the world economy (pp. 437-453). London: Sage.

Kuttainen, V. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 8: Stuff. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

The Economist. (21 April 2012). The third industrial revolution. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/21553017

World's media pan Rinehart's $2 a day African miner comments. (6 September 2012). The Age. Retrieved from http://www.theage.com.au/business/worlds-media-pan-rineharts-2-a-day-african-miner-comments-20120906-25fpq.html

Image Sources

Child labour during industrial revolution (n.d.) Retrieved from http://www2.needham.k12.ma.us/nhs/cur/Baker_00/2002_p7/ak_p7/childlabor.html

Maung, D. (n.d.) Carmen Durán and other factory workers display the products they assemble. From http://www.angeles.sierraclub.org/hvtf/SoSn/2007_09%20GlobalTrade/maquiadoras/index.htm