As the year 2016 was coming to a close, these past few days at work, we had quite interesting discussions. We were making use of the idle time at our disposal because most of the workers had already gone for festive holidays.
One worker raised a point that he has observed over the years that employers keep wages at the very low so as to keep workers at work all the time. The other one retorted, if they were to give workers high wages or more pay, you would not see them the next day, they would still be enjoying their money. We all burst into laughter.
One worker mentioned that we are the ones who make or produce everything but we get nothing for it. This is what Marx called alienation. Workers produce but are alienated from what they produce. In a simple and relaxed manner, workers were dealing with the most exploitative, oppressive system in the world. A point was made that this system cannot be made to work for workers, it favors only the bosses. Another worker made a point that workers continue to run production while the bosses are away on holiday. These and all other interesting observations were made in a relaxed atmosphere.
We will continue to dissect this barbaric system whenever we have time available. I suggested that we must make time available some time in the new year to ponder deeper about all these observations and mobilize other workers for communism, a system without money and classes. One worker remarked that the ANC once promised “free education for all” but now it is making a mockery of the promise. Students are languishing in goals for fees must fall protests while some have paid with their lives. Interestingly ICWP, our party, has made available pamphlets dealing with all these issues.
–A South African Comrade
Back to Front Page