Reduced Working Time and the Redivision of Labour

Abstract

The formula for collective toil presented in the final section of the previous chapter implies that the demand for labour inputs could, in principle, be accommodated by a variety of combinations of numbers employed — n; average hours of work — h; and labour intensity — i. This chapter examines two of the ways in which reduced working time could be achieved:

• (1) a reduction in h, given n, could be compensated by a rise in i as of a given base value ī;

• (2) a reduction in h, given i and ī, could be compensated by a rise in n.

The purpose of this exercise is to explore in detail the obstacles which inhibit any serious challenge to capitalism’s structural bias. This in turn will reveal the principal tasks and themes of a transformatory approach to toil reduction.