Rethinking Global Labour

Work makes the world go around, not money. Up to a decade ago, many labor movement analysts would probably have thought that we are witnessing the beginning of the end of organized labor as a major political force. But there is now a feeling across the political spectrum that capitalism, post-financial crisis, and the forces of globalization it nurtures are in decline and that the labor movement has regained some ground. The premise of this book is that we are at the beginning of a new era for workers and their organizations, in which they will begin to impact decisively on the new global order that they have helped to create through their labor. Ronaldo Munck offers a sober appraisal of how globalization has created a new global working class through the massive acceleration of capital accumulation and, concomitantly, increased the insecurity and precarious nature of most employment. The so-called "precariat" may be seen as a novel and threatening idea for the northern hemisphere, but for workers of the South this is what might be deemed the default condition. Munck suggests that we are now moving beyond categories of North and South as workers of the world share the impacts of global capitalism and the lessons to be learned. And it is this new global class of workers that lies at the heart of the future globalization project and its possible alternatives, such as the "decent work" agenda of official institutions and the "social movement unionism" articulated by the alter-globalization movements. In some ways the book poses a "return to the future," drawing parallels with the birth of the labor and democratic movements before the consolidation of nation states.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need to re-establish the labour movement’s political capacity to exert collective power in ways that foster greater opportunity and equality for working-class people has taken on a greater sense of urgency. Understanding the strategic political possibilities and challenges facing the Canadian labour movement at this important moment in history is the central concern of this second edition of Rethinking the Politics of Labour in Canada. With new and revised essays by established and emerging scholars from a wide range of disciplines, this edited collection assesses the past, present and uncertain future of Canadian labour politics in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Bringing together the traditional electoral-based aspects of labour politics with analyses of newer and rediscovered forms of working-class organization and social movement-influenced strategies, which have become increasingly important in the Canadian labour movement, this book seeks to take stock of these new forms of labour politics, understand their emergence and assess their potential impact on the future of labour in Canada.

In this book Ernesto Screpanti provides a rigorous examination of Marx’s theory of exploitation, one of the cornerstones of Marxist thought. With precision and clarity, he identifies the holes in traditional readings of Marx’s theory before advancing his own original interpretation, drawing on contemporary philosophy and economic theory to provide a refreshingly interdisciplinary exegesis. Screpanti’s arguments are delivered with perspicuity and verve: this is a book that aims to spark a debate. He exposes ambiguities present in Marx’s exposition of his own theory, especially when dealing with the employment contract and the notions of ‘abstract labor’ and ‘labor value’, and he argues that these ambiguities have given rise to misunderstandings in previous analyses of Marx’s theory of exploitation. Screpanti’s own interpretation is a meticulously argued counterpoint to these traditional interpretations. Labour and Value is a significant contribution to the theory of economics, particularly Marxist economics. It will also be of great interest to scholars in other disciplines including sociology, political science, and moral and political philosophy. Screpanti’s clear and engaging writing style will attract the interested general reader as well as the academic theorist.

Using a world historical approach, Valiani demonstrates that though nursing and other caring labour is essential to human, social, and economic development, the exploitation of care workers is escalating.

Revision of: Black, Errol. Building a better world.

This volume looks into current thinking and policy options on workIt consists of a selection of articles from the ILO's flagship journal, the International Labour Review. To most people, work is the mainstay of livelihood, social integration, and identity. But the twentieth-century meaning of "work" can no longer be taken for granted. As patterns of work continue to shift in response to the demands of production and trade in the global economy, major challenges have arisen not only in the lives of individual workers, but also for employers exposed to global competition and for the makers of national and international policy and law. At the heart of the debate lies the challenge of reframing the concepts and rules whereby people's socioeconomic security and the human dimensions of work can be reconciled with the global market's growing need for competitive labor flexibility.

Presenting a wide-ranging and radical critique of the prevailing orthodoxies within industrial relations and human-resource management, this book contains a detailed examination of the evolution of industrial relations, arguing that the area is often under-theorized and influenced by the policy agenda of the state or employers. The topics covered include central problems in industrial relations, the mobilization theory of collective action, the growth of non-union workplaces and the prospects and desirability of a new labour-management social partnership, and the history of worker collectivism. There is also discussion of postmodernism, and accounts of the end of the labour movement.