Is factory system making our lives miserable??.

[janam]

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Recently I happen to wait at the gate of one factory situated near Madurai. It was 'shift' changing time. There was a acute labor shortage. So they employed an agent to fetch people from the nearby villages. The 'nearby' is considerably increased. Due to this shortage, they are finding difficult to achieve the required productivity level.

The bus which carried the load of workers stopped before the gate. 'Flock of people' got down from the bus, wearing half trousers and lungies,with unclean hands and legs and wavy hair. The security searched them fully and the let them in. They disappeared inside the factory building. They must have come from the villages. The factory apparently had no single TB. There are many number of such factories. They earn for that day's survival.

By selling their age, energy in what way our country is benefited?. (I am doing a similar job, but with my own terms, whenever the factory called!!)

 

[kunjuppu]

janam,

the factory system has been in this world since the start of the first industrial revolution in england in the 18th century with the harnessing of steam. and still going strong.

there is no escape for the humankind from it. factories provide jobs, goods, base for taxes and ultimately upward mobility for the masses by doing away with hunger, nakedness, homelessness etc one by one.

two competing forces constantly work against each other. the force of capital which wants to maximize profits for the owners. the labour which wants to maximize benefits for the worker.

what is happening to the labour unions in your area? how come there is labour shortage in this country of 1 billion? do not the workers automatically move towards where the jobs are? 100 years ago our ancestors moved to bombay, calcutta, malaya singapre and ceylon for jobs. now they are moving all over the world.

there is no shame or slavery or disrepute associated with the factories per se. it is the management of the resources and fair share of the rewards between capital & labour, that is the issue.

if you want an analytical one point of view prejudiced outlook, one may read, das kapital by karl marx or atlas regained by ayn rand. incidentally both are jews.

 

[Nara]

....if you want an analytical one point of view prejudiced outlook, one may read, das kapital by karl marx or atlas regained by ayn rand.

Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and it was Milton's Paradise that was regained.

One can't lead life with an even-steven philosophy. Like the title of one of Howard Zinn's books says, you can't be neutral in a moving train. Truth is not always in the middle of an argument. Splitting the difference can often be quite unjust. Pirating from a quote of late Arizona Senator and the losing Republican presidential candidate against LBJ, Barry Goldwater, moderation in the face of oppression and exploitation is no virtue.

Cheers!

 

[tbs]

Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and it was Milton's Paradise that was regained.

One can't lead life with an even-steven philosophy. Like the title of one of Howard Zinn's books says, you can't be neutral in a moving train. Truth is not always in the middle of an argument. Splitting the difference can often be quite unjust. Pirating from a quote of late Arizona Senator and the losing Republican presidential candidate against LBJ, Barry Goldwater, moderation in the face of oppression and exploitation is no virtue.

Cheers!

hi nara sir,
i like to appreciate you in many ways.....very good knowledge of sri vaishanvism with modern american history....i may differ in many views with u..
but you have very good knowledge of democrats/republicans......im not in favor of either Mcain/kerry policies...either i dont like recent Arizona/Utah laws..my 2 cents...

regards
tbs

 

[Nara]

...i may differ in many views with u..

Dear sir,

Thank you for your views; of course, if all of us agree all the time, this will be a boring place. Let us disagree, in a civil and respectful way, and have fun....

Cheers!

 

[tbs]

hi nara sir


Let us disagree, in a civil and respectful way....

sometimes we disagree in military way tooo.....means in a disciplined and autocratic way.....


regards
tbs..

 

[janam]

Greetings Mr Kunjuppu,

janam,

the factory system has been in this world since the start of the first industrial revolution in england in the 18th century with the harnessing of steam. and still going strong....

Factory systems produce cheap robots in India. They go on producing such robots. If the factory system really contributing to the upward mobility of workers, how come they still offer for as low as 3600 Rs a month. (a day's salary may be, for some other professionals who has to do not even 20% of their manual job). There is two centuries 'd gone in between.

Many of the factories here, started, lets see from 50s. In 50 years, we still have a huge number of laborers who get 3600Rs per month salary. Industrial revolution is for the betterment of mankind is a cruel Joke.

I am talking about the Laborers aka cheap robots (but without that sophistication -for india) who are huge in numbers here.

Cheers

 

[sangom]

Greetings Mr Kunjuppu,

Factory systems produce cheap robots in India. They go on producing such robots. If the factory system really contributing to the upward mobility of workers, how come they still offer for as low as 3600 Rs a month. (a day's salary may be, for some other professionals who has to do not even 20% of their manual job). There is two centuries 'd gone in between.

Many of the factories here, started, lets see from 50s. In 50 years, we still have a huge number of laborers who get 3600Rs per month salary. Industrial revolution is for the betterment of mankind is a cruel Joke.

I am talking about the Laborers aka cheap robots (but without that sophistication -for india) who are huge in numbers here.

Cheers

Janam,

Greetings. There are people in T.Nadu itself who earn as little as Rs.30 or Rs.40 on days when they get some manual labour to do. In a year they are employed for about 100 or 120 days. The womenfolk earn a pittance which does not alter the position significantly. A family of 6 or 7 has to subsist on this meagre monthly income of about Rs.400 or so. The factories give comparatively better wages and therefore there are people to take up the jobs. The moral responsibility of eradicating poverty and bringing in socialism is that of the GOI and the state govts. We tend to overlook this basic truth and try to paint the factory owners as some sort of demons while conveniently forgetting the miserable and unpardonable failure of the govts.

In Kerala, where I live, not one good industry has thrived because the labour is "enlightened" and ask for the moon. Even a traditional industry like coir has therefore gone to TN. The same enlightened people from Kerala go to the gulf and labour under very inhuman conditions like virtual slaves, sacrificing even basic rights and amenities but they are not prepared to accept reasonable wages here.

It is true that capital exploits labour just as it exploits other factors of production. But without the factories a large number of our BPL people will become destitute. If govts do a good job and increase the general living standards of our poorer sections, the wage rates will also increase, but, in today's global economy India will then lose what little competitive edge it has to some other country (China for example, now) which can offer better returns to capital.

 

[janam]

Greetings Mr Sangom,

My point is not to speak ill about factory owners, and I don't find any fault in bringing laborers from villages, purely because the factory owners don't employ physical violence. My point is that, factory workers are a miserable lot not for what they earn, but for what they become after the service. I bring to your attention that they are a huge lot, who in our democratic country, can decide anybody else's fate. The value of money varies from villages to towns and from cities to countries. So, absolute value for money may not be same in those locations for a particular thing.. But the extraction of juice out of human and destruction of plants are more or less same. With 5000 Rs living in Tirunelveli and Delhi may never be the same for a Tamilian (with a set of food habits and culture). The value sets they carry from their villages are not respected and followed anymore after putting up considerable service.

We can not expect good human beings with compassion to fellow human being, when they are into this rat race.

 

[Nara]

..... My point is that, factory workers are a miserable lot not for what they earn, but for what they become after the service.

Dear janam, Greetings!

I agree with your robot/factory owner metaphor. Here, for me, robot is everyone starting from street sweeper to accountants to engineers to managers, and the factory owner is the rich and powerful.

The social and educational system in India, and to some extent in U.S. as well, is optimized to produce robots for the factory owner. The nexus between the factory owners and the politicians -- in many cases the factory owner is also the politician -- is to make sure there is enough robots around. Pay them just enough, educate them just enough, fill them up with just enough jingoism and superstitions, such that there is a continuous and never ending supply of loyal robots.

In the U.S., at least the people graduating from colleges are required to complete a certain set of general education subjects, like, economic, history, anthropology, sciences, art, music, etc. So, there is a chance that at least some of them can be more than a robot, a citizen if you will.

In India, the whole emphasis from the time the little robots come out, is to be a good productive robot for the factory owner politician.

The robot training starts early and is rigorous. Do the right thing at the right time. Teach them to memorize, how to be obedient, how to be subservient to elders, how to not love, if you are a girl robot how to cook, how to stand, how to sit, and a very long list of things to do, things to learn, things to regurgitate, or else, a very dangerous thing may happen -- the robot may start to think for itself -- calamity, the parent robots are at fault, they failed to teach the little robots how to be robots, they failed to set good examples, cry over split milk.

The robot training reaches fever pitch when they are in +2, at which point, the kind of robot he/she is going to be is decided by the factory owner. The rest of the robot's life is now set. You toil along, produce for the factory owner, and produce more robots for the future factory owners.

let the robots of the world unite ....

 

[arya]

Dear Sirs,
The lot of the factory workers in India is not all that bad. There are regular employees and there are casual workers.The regular employees are covered under Employees state insurance and many of these employees exploit the benefits given by the ESIC. Making use of the various types of leave they get thru this, they look after their private business-like petty shops while assured of a fixed income thru the factories
arya

 

[janam]

Greetings Mr Nara,

In India, the whole emphasis from the time the little robots come out, is to be a good productive robot for the factory owner politician. .........

Very interesting post Sir.

In any Factory, the unskilled workers constitutes around 85%, around 8% are the skilled worker and 5% Management staffs and 2% are the owners, directors. The unskilled laborers are not required to posses any skill except they can walk, and have specific height to reach out objects, and have very little grey matter just enough to run in case of fire or such hazards happen in their work environment.

Cleanliness and hygiene does not require any formal education, visiting their toilets can tell their whole mentality and approach to their life.

They do not belong to the trained robots you have mentioned in your post. I think those trained robots are the one who gets formal education and then set out to work.

Regards

 

[janam]

Greetings Mr Arya,

Factory workers accept and live the wages they get mainly because they are not exposed to live with the modern luxury. Unlike Middle management staff, they can not dream to climb up in the corporate ladder. Their start to MAKE money only when they find the need through external pressure. Though their mind is far better to be content than educated class, yet, there are level of social status drive them to have those things which can never be of any purpose to them.

 

[janam]

Greetings to all,

A typical middle aged worker hardly gets time to think beyond his locality and relatives. He can not care their children's education and upbringing. Due to the locality and exposure, very few kids grow beyond this mode. They talk worldly affairs only as a time pass. They are very easily influenced by outsiders.

Visual Media plays a big role in their lives. Their simplistic lifestyle is ridiculed and push them to have a modern amenities and lifestyle. With the limited wages and limitations, they try to get these things by disturbing their harmony.

 

[janam]

Greetings to all,

These people have the same voting power as we have. But they decide our fate, due to their numbers. They decide TN's fate, India's fate. We get leaders as long as we have more and more worker class who are denied their basic psychological freedom & respect.

 

[sangom]

Shri Janam,

I am unable to understand exactly what point/s you are trying to make out through your posts. Do you feel that the factory workers are not paid as well as middle management, etc., or that these factory workers are like robots and so they should not decide "our" fate because they enjoy the same voting power as we do? Pl. make yourself clear.

 

[janam]

Greetings Sri Sangom,

I do not say anything about the payment. In a business, the payment is made based on the output and importance, its not caste based reservation. There is a big chunk of people who are not required to contribute anything more than lending their hands and legs. Little more than a bottom line featureless robot. Their present lifestyle is miserable. There is a scarcity for workers now, but I dont think it will sustain. They have to work in a factory or anywhere even to live. Factories destroy the fabrics of existence. Indirectly, it is knitting a social web, from where no soul can be free, forever.

Factories consume the resources like a thirsty animal.
Factories destroy the environmental equilibrium.
Factories dont leave the people to lead a simple life.
Factories produce much more than one would need.

These people are ready to cast their vote for as low as Rs 100 (a day's wages). Based on this, we get leaders who rule us and control our lives.

1. People are robbed off their peace, natural inclinations, and life.
2. The mindless politicians exploit the resources like a hungry pig without any consideration to the environment.
3. We can make many modern equipments but can never bring back the nature's balance.

This rapid deterioration is because of factories.

Factories directly give jobs and indirectly destroy their peaceful life.

 

[SuryaKasyapa]

Greetings Sri Sangom,

I do not say anything about the payment................................................. Factories destroy the fabrics of existence. Indirectly, it is knitting a social web, from where no soul can be free, forever.

Factories consume the resources like a thirsty animal.
Factories destroy the environmental equilibrium.
Factories dont leave the people to lead a simple life.
Factories produce much more than one would need.

These people are ready to cast their vote for as low as Rs 100 (a day's wages). Based on this, we get leaders who rule us and control our lives.

1. People are robbed off their peace, natural inclinations, and life.
2. The mindless politicians exploit the resources like a hungry pig without any consideration to the environment.
3. We can make many modern equipments but can never bring back the nature's balance.

This rapid deterioration is because of factories.

Factories directly give jobs and indirectly destroy their peaceful life.

Sri Janam,

Like Mr Sangom ,I am also not able to make out exactly what is your point?

Do you want to say that there should not be any factories? All factories should be closed down?

If that is your view, then it does not need any thinking on that. It is not practical, against the benefits of industrialisation and against removing poverty of at least many few thousand families.

If ou want to say that the labourers are exploited, then, there are well established trade union system,and many civil labour laws.Many mechanisms for welfare of employees.

Now that you have seen many responses, at least can u give a solution, other than factories?
Do not say about village Industries. Gandhiji has already championed that.

Then what? Any novel suggestion? Welcome.we are eager for that.


Greetings.

 

[sangom]

Gandhiji's Hind Swaraj envisaged that there will be no factories; he also pleaded that there should be no railway, no lawyers, no doctors, not even primary education for children. If Janam's ideas are similar, he may take it that where Gandhi could not succeed, lesser personalities like us are sure to fail.

 

[sangom]

P.S. Attachment is not getting uploaded; otherwise I could have made it.