Price of labour

Published on Sunday 12 October 2008 21:34

Alexander McKay states that the RMT strike, and my support of it, is an "archaic method of resolving industrial disputes". If it is not archaic for the centuries-old practice of banks to determine the price they charge when selling money (they call it loans) and refuse to sell it when the buyer says no to the price, why is it archaic for workers to determine the price they want for their labour, and withdraw it when the price is not right?

Mr McKay doesn't tell us how he would resolve matters when an employer refuses to pay the price a worker wants. Arbitration can work sometimes, but if an employer is obdurate the worker has to sell his or her labour for a lower price than it merits, or withdraw it.

It will, of course, become much more difficult for workers to bargain as the recession gathers pace and unemployment mounts. The fear of losing a job will lower the price of labour and reduce the ability to withdraw it. The Labour Party was created to stop that happening, but that, as has been proved, is simply a silly, archaic idea.

JIM SILLARS

Grange Loan

Edinburgh