Global labour regimes are shaped by racism, says union, amid 'hyper profits' of capital in Global North & 'hyper exploitation' of workers in & from Global South
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Public Services International has released a paper titled “Decolonising labour regimes”, that looks at the work of scholars and activists across the globe on racism and white supremacy in the global political economy, and the resurgence of racism, xenophobia, and other forms of intolerance in neoliberal globalisation.
The paper begins by exploring how the post World War II era saw the development of various new international norms and principles that rendered racism ‘socially unacceptable’. However, the paper goes on to explore how, despite this, ‘the reality of racism persists’ in the form of imperial capitalism profiting from inequality and discrimination. In particular, the paper highlights that racism is systemic and is the outcome of political processes of racialisation, which in turn enable those in power to maintain their power.
The paper focuses on post-colonial research and activists movements, including South Africa’s ‘FeesMustFall’ movement, which included a focus on universities outsourcing cleaning and ground services, leaving workers in precarious and ‘racially abusive’ employment. The paper links such activists’ movements to the ‘coloniality of power’: this refers to the notion that - even after colonialism – a Eurocentric model of power, build on identity hierarchies, still structures relations between capitalism and labour.
The paper goes on to emphasise how global and national labour markets are shaped by ‘coloniality’. It highlights how the global division of labour is racialised, something made worse by neoliberal policies and globalisation. This has led to a lack of opportunities for marginalised communities for decent work.
Despite decolonisation, the assertion of international social and economic rights norms and the emergence of new economic powerhouses in the Global South, the global division of labour remains both racialised and white supremacist. This has worsened since the introduction of neoliberal policies and globalisation which have decimated opportunities for marginalised Black, Indigenous and people of colour for decent work in developing countries through a combination of debt bondage, austerity, militarism and a massive expansion of extractivism.Public Services International, “Decolonising labour regimes”
The paper explores how globalisation has created conditions where a small number of extremely powerful companies control global supply chains, and shows the impact of the Global North’s reliance on the Global South for cheap labour, creating ‘hyper profits’ of capital in the Global North at the expense of the ‘hyper exploitation’ for workers in and from the Global South.
The paper includes a focus on migrant workers, highlighting rising racism and xenophobia towards this group of workers. In particular, the paper sheds light on abuses experienced by workers in the Middle East and the Gulf, emphasising how working conditions are determined by national origin.
Other topics the paper discusess include climate change and its impact on migration, the treatment of domestic workers amid a global gendered division of labour, and multiple forms of escalating racial violence under neoliberalism.