Labour’s Goals and the Reproduction of Unequal Power

Abstract

In the previous chapter I argued that there are no universal substantive interests which can be attributed to workers in their various individual and social roles. On the other hand, if freedom and self-determination are important values, then it is always possible to postulate a formal and negative interest in overcoming conditions which cause potential or actual interests to remain silent. Such silencing occurs when the social practices attached to workers’ various roles systematically generate an interest field which excludes significant issues (dimension 3), or disqualify some consciously held interests as candidates for action (dimension 2).