Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watarts!cdanderson
From: cdanderson@watarts.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Property (or Class Struggle? What Class Struggle?)
Message-ID: <2126@watarts.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 12-Mar-84 01:15:56 EST
Article-I.D.: watarts.2126
Posted: Mon Mar 12 01:15:56 1984
Date-Received: Tue, 13-Mar-84 01:00:25 EST
References: <312@tty3b.UUCP> dciem.758
Lines: 27



       Before it becomes accepted as fact on the net, as it has in 
much of today's corporate world, Japan should neither be held up as a 
model of labour/management cooperation, nor as a formula for economic 
success for the U.S.
       Regarding the relationship between worker and management, Japan
can only have this apparent unity because of the very great standing 
army of labour (i.e. unemployed waiting to get a better job) existing 
in the country and their history as a feudal society. Only when there
are no differences in the rewards to those who manage and those who 
produce, or these are kept at a minimum, and where all own the means
of production will a truly "just" society exist. For an example of what
I mean, see the movie "The Mondragon Experiment", about how 91 worker-
owned and controlled cooperatives have been established in the Basque
region of Spain. While some problems still exist, it is far better, and 
has been economically superior, than other "capitalist" companies in 
Spain.
      I know I should be posting the references, but perhaps this will
do for now (?). The reason that Japan has succeeded so well since WW 11
is that it was aided by the USA through vast sums of money and technological
assistance (recently, some of it through theft) and the country has 
extensive import restrictions protecting it from competition.

           Beware of the co-opt in cooperation,
                           Cameron Anderson
                           watmath!watarts!cdanderson