‘Precarious work affects us all’

Workers around the world face a double crisis. Not only are they trying to survive the worst crisis of capitalist overproduction since the 1930s, but this crisis came during a massive global restructuring that has eliminated untold numbers of formerly secure jobs.

A growing number of workers are “precarious,” which according to the Merriam-Webster definition means “characterized by a lack of security or stability.” Temporary, part-time, contingent, contract, flexible — whatever word defines their status — these workers’ lives are indeed precarious.

They never know from day to day if they will work, for how many hours, or if they will be let go. Having a “flexible” workforce is highly profitable for the bosses. They only pay wages to the workers needed for a given time period or on a given day. More often than not these precarious workers receive no benefits.

For many working class and oppressed youth, precarious work is all they have to look forward to when they graduate from high school or college.

The International Metalworkers Federation has publicized many struggles around the world of precarious workers demanding secure employment. Strikes in south Korea, marches against labor law “reform” in Turkey, organizing drives in Indonesia, and educational campaigns around the globe are part of an international metalworkers campaign called “precarious work affects us all.”

These efforts are depicted in a youtube.com video of the same name.

“Precarious work is bad for all workers,” the federation explains. “It creates cut-price labor that drives down wages for all. It increases the gap between the rich and poor and amplifies the unfair practices that already disadvantage women, young and migrant workers.

“Good jobs are what trade unions bargain for. Around the world, unions are mobilizing, organizing and bargaining for better, more secure work. That means challenging the legal and political ruses that allow precarious work to flourish. It means mobilizing globally and taking union action against precarious work.” (www.imfmetal.org)

— Martha Grevatt