Give back dignity to work
A couple of years ago, in my country, Italy, one of the ministers told to the young Italian people ‘do not be choosy’ when searching for a job. And it was a scandal.
In the last 10 years, I have done many jobs, inside and outside Italy, most of them underpaid and on fixed term, but at least I liked them. I was lucky. Many of my fellows colleagues and friends were not so lucky. No jobs, no salary. Moreover, think about that, the first article of the Italian Constitution says: ‘Italy is a republic founded on work’. Somebody online added: ‘abroad’.
I recognise that work is changing, everywhere in the world. That is the nature of work; it is mutable and follows the evolving society.
I am still young. I know that I can change again, and again. In addition, I will never see retirement. Oh, is it antiquated? Well... I accept that.
Now, I work as a freelance with a part time job. And I am lucky.
I am not saying that everyone has to stay in a precarious situation and be happy with that. That is not the solution.
We live in strange times. However, maybe we require an old philosopher to understand what will happen to work. I am talking about Marx. Yes, exactly. Well, Marx was obsessed with capitalism so, who else can analyse it better? In one of his less famous writings, Fragments on Machines, he forecast a future where every work is completed by machines. A complete automation. What will happen to workers and salary then? Marx said that workers would have more free time to employ in leisure activities and in pursue of happiness. Of course, money has to be redistributed and everyone will have the right access to food and other goods. In this way, everyone in the world could support for his/her life. Even in many Sci-Fi movies and novels, we have seen this (or better, we have seen almost this, usually, there is some trouble).
Will this happen?
I firmly believe that one day, machines and robots will substitute human work. However, I also fear that before that time something bad will happen. Work has already been devalued. Work is no more considered as a satisfactory activity for which you receive an equal compensation. Everyone needs money, more money, to buy useless things; everyone works so hard, stressing himself or herself. Tired workers employed by out of control managers. Until the next crack.
I believe in a rehabilitation of work (a 21tst century Art & Craft movement, a kind of…); equal salaries, in flexible hours. I believe also in a better form of education, in which students can express themselves and be more satisfied in order to help to create a better society. Because then, they will be happy to contribute to the building of society. That will never happen, I know. However, hope is the last one to die. And while I am writing this piece, a young boy from my country had decided to take his life because he had zero possibilities in the Italian job system. Maybe, besides big dreams and useless political discourses, it is time to adopt a citizen’s income system (as Finland) and give back dignity to work and workers.
