At 07:34 AM 23/08/2007, you wrote:
The Financial Times, I;m told (haven't been able to find it) reports
that Venezuela is going to the six hour day of work.
Can someone tell us about that?
Gene Coyle
As this is a work in process (changing by the day as is
characteristic of the Bolivarian revolution), being in Vancouver for
the last week means that I may not be entirely on top of things.
Suffice it to say that one stream going in this direction was a focus
upon transforming the workday to make 2 hours of every day in the
workplace education for worker management (thereby redefining work to
include education and preparation of new subjects). The corollary was
that the reduced material (and services) production time would open
up the possibility of new jobs in the formal sector. This focus upon
education in the specific workplace was muted as the stress became
also work within communities (ie, redefining work to include activity
with and for communal councils); thus, the release of workers for
this purpose. Everything seems to be getting quite muddled if I read
the latest statements of the Minister of Work in which it starts
sounding like time to do your own thing (which presumably could be
work in the informal sector or a few more beers--- these routes
tending to be gender-specific) ; my reaction to this is (a) dismay
and (b) patience and a sense of irony-- especially as I suspect the
(nominally Trotskyist) Minister (who has excelled in supporting his
small fraction of the labour movement and uniting all others against
him) will not be around long.
cheers,
michael
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Director, Programme in 'Transformative Practice and Human Development'
Centro Internacional Miranda, P.H.
Residencias Anauco Suites, Parque Central, final Av. Bolivar
Caracas, Venezuela
fax: 0212 5768274/0212 5777231
http//:centrointernacionalmiranda.gob.ve
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
