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As far as our country India is
concerned this balance is all the more required. On one hand we find extreme and ruthless labour extoring
methods and machinery wherien even tender
children are not spared from hard and monotonous toil and drudgery. On the other
hand we find a general apathy in almost all classes of people towards hard
work and a yearning for an easy
living. The work ethic is generally absent. This is not any Scottish ca’
canny as a matter of policy but appears to be an ingrained habit. Perhaps in
case of individual owners, handi-craftsmen, small businessmen and other sorts
of self-employed this may be tolerated to an extent since after all they lose
more on their own and do not directly affect the rest of the society. Though
even in such cases the country, the nation as a whole, is adversely affected
since the general economic standards of the country as a whole also tend to
fall. But this seems almost unbearable if the employees or managers or other
persons in control of business, agriculture and economy in general were to
enjoy for their leisure at the expesnse of public money. This is the case in
our country with most, if not all, of the government employees, public sector
workers and other sorts of ‘privileged’ employees like bank employees,
teachers, lecturers, staff in research institutes,etc., either wholly
government controlled or aided by government. Not only we find total absense
of work ethic in most of these employees but also an all pervading culture of
make money quick by resorting to all and any sort of corrupt practices. It is
my personal observation and experience that employees in some vantage sectors
such as municipalities, electircity department board, excise, income tax,
transport authority, courts and then police are so steeped in corruption that
they really ‘work’ only at odd hours
and not during office hours. And that they do to ‘earn’ their extra
incomes (incontrast to authorized salaries). Not to speak of lakhs and crores
of rupees of public wasted and pilfered at higher levels, even among the
lower staff the extortion process is too common. There are several peons (IV
class employees) in such vantage sectors who lend thousands, even lakhs of
rupees to some of their own officers and other businessmen etc., for exorbitant
interests. And the general motivation in society, among almost all calsses is
that one should earn handsomely, ‘with both hands’ that is officially and out
of the way and then only he/she is deemed a successful person in life. Other
values are there only for namesake, for preaching especially to others. And what is more surpirsing is that instead of being ashamed at their such work thieving and corrupt practices, most of such employees or self-employed glory in their deeds. The unions galore in such sectors always press for more wages, more comforts, more this and more that — sectional demands without contributing their part to build up the nation and its economy. But they never do any introspection, they never think about their duties to the society and to the country or to their own ‘conscience’. The educated persons are the worst sinners and culprits in this regard. In one way it is they who have ruined our country, the good ethics that were projected during the freedom struggle and in so many revolutionary movements and brought the country to the brink of this disaster of moral and cultural degeneration. But by now this corrupt and idling culture has pervaded the rest of the society also. In contrast look at Japan, even at China or see Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, etc. No doubt, there are corrupt practices and a lot of gol-mals (scams, etc.) in those counctries also. But still there is some sort of better and nobler work ethic among the masses and different sections of society there. Especially Jananese seem to be workaholics and the workers there do not just concentrate on their sectional demands but also look at the overall development of their industry and the nation. Likewise the managerial and other high executive staff there are more responsible and less corrupt |
and generally more arduous. It is high time that this general cultural drawback among our countrymen is realized, and attempts made to remedy that to some exrent or the other, by social activists and more particularly by different revolutionary gorups. There is no use in backing up or winking at corrupt and work-shirking practices by workers, employees and other sections of ‘toiling’ people with the worn-out excuse that it would be difficult otherwise to organize them or keep them ‘under our control and influence’. The time has come when one has to tell them on their face that by such bad ethics they are also in a way becoming part-exploiters. They are also expoliting the more deprived sections of people by cornering huge amounts of public money for no or little labour performed by them. They are also getting or have already got ‘bourgeoisfied’ — though it may not be the correct term to be used in the instant case. An angry employees unionist was confronted with the folowing statement to explain the real situation : ‘‘Suppose there is a typist or a plumber in a private sector company. He is exploited there no doubt. Now he gets Rs 2000/ per month, which is considered low, compared to the contribution he makes for the company in terms of his labour. Well then, what should be or could be his real salary? If we tentatively take Marx's labour power and surplus value ratio of 1:1 and consider he is subject to 100% exploitation, then even if we allow him whole of his surplus value, he would be entitled to Rs 4000/ or so per month. So one can safely put Rs4000/ per month as the most reasonable remuneration for the real labour he does. Now come to government or public sector owned factory or office. Does a plumber or typist there turn out the same amount of work as this private typist/plumber? No, not half that amount of work even. But already he is drawing more than Rs 5000/ per month. By what logic this equation could be understood and solved? So do not you think, do not you see, that already this employee in government or public sector is drawing out of proportion to his labour from the public funds? Is it not true that he is also partially drawing from the surplus value of the more deprived sections of the people and is also partly exploiting the people?’’ He was quite embarrassed but had no answer. He cannot have any answer to this either. This cannot be answered simply by saying how rich are becoming richer, how politicians, high executives, all sorts of other highly placed persons are eating away crores of rupees, how different rates of wages are there in different sectors and industries, etc. This can only be understood by critical and repentant introspection and genuine concern to mend the things for a better future. So, is it possible? Could this be achieved in our country? Can a social activist or social action group or a revolutionary party or group boldly confront the people with their own drawbacks and ask them to mend and work for a better future. This even at the cost of great unpopularity and loss of following loss of vote banks, etc? Can they tell people that not only should they fight for their needs and rights but also they should fight for their own duties i.e., they should have and maintain good work and struggle ethics. And that they should have real social consciousness of keeping the welfare of the whole society and not their sectional interests alone in their mind. Whether one can or cannot, in my considered opinion that is the only right and correct way. Otherwise all and any sort of movements and 'revolutions' would bring no real relief or liberation to our country and our people. Then it is possible to combine both struggle for rights and concern for duties, struggle against work exploitation and regard towards work ethic and also mobilize the masses in due course, if not immediately, for the establishment of a new and better society. |