Skip to main content

Are People Who Insist That Workers Own the Means of Production Be Willing to Open a Business Where Workers Own the Means of Production?

Last 2022, I wrote two articles on the means of production. One article I wrote refutes the idea that workers, not the business owners, own the means of production. Another article discussed whether or not anti-capitalists have no choice because capitalists own the means of production. The other day, I wrote a dare where I want people who insist on #SahodItaasPresyoIbaba economics (higher salaries, lower prices) to open stores that operate on that mindset. I'm afraid that what I wrote was merely the tip of the iceberg. With that in mind, I'd like to ask people who say that the workers own the means of production to open a business, where the workers own the means of production.

What's their reasoning behind the logic that the workers own the means of production? The common logic is that because the workers did all the hard work they own the production. They say that the businessman can die but not the workers. It's because according to these smart alecks--it's because those who are working are the ones at the assembly lines. They say that the business owners have no big paper in the production of their products. The logic is baffling because the business owners are the ones who make the system that the workers follow. Some say that business owners have the "easiest job" in the world because all they do is sign papers. However, what they don't see is that business owners have the hardest job. Workers may spend up to eight hours in the office, pack their staff, and leave. However, the board of directors and the CEO may stay at the office for longer hours to wrap things up. It's because they need to account for the workers and how to handle them properly. They need to meet about long-term solutions such as how to keep workers happy to keep the company alive on a sustainable profit. Also, if the business owners make shoddy decisions, they're the ones who get the most blame--not the workers! The workers can be laid off and still find better employees. However, the bad employer will suffer the most blame and may even rot in jail for his or her bad business decisions.

Now, let's think about these fools who claim that they can do better if they own the means of production. However, to prove their point, they must open a business where the workers own the means of production. This is going to be vastly different from a worker who ends up accumulating money or a group of workers, who eventually become entrepreneurs. One can read the stories that some of the wealthiest people today used to be in the working class. Lucio Tan Sr. used to be a janitor at a tobacco factory, all before he became the owner of Asia Brewery and his other businesses. These people must form their own cooperatives where the workers own the means of production.

These people who make such claims must establish their own organization with that model. That means when they form their businesses--the workers must be the ones who bring their own means of production. They say that the workers own the means of production. In the capitalist model, the company owns the means of production and then entrusts the means of production to the worker. However, for the workers to own the means of production, it will result that the workers must release their own money and bring their own equipment. That would be the way for workers to own the means of production. However, who would want to work in a company where you had to bring out the money to buy the means of production or bring the means of production? Isn't buying the means of production from the basic tools to the types of machinery the responsibility of the business? People would want a job to be paid, not to get out their own money to buy the means of production.

Okay, these people say that they'll do better if they seize the means of production. However, how often are those leading the coup willing to distribute ownership to their subordinates, all before their inclination for greed takes over? History has shown that Communist takeovers have been nothing more than broken promises. After Mao Zedong took over China, he consolidated the power within himself and his followers. However, the common citizens soon ended up suffering in his failed Great Leap Forward program. Some say it was just a famine. However, try telling that to the Chinese who survived it and they'll tell a different tale. Former Chinese citizens who migrated to the USA tell how horrible Mao's Great Leap Forward was. Mao's promise of a better China failed. Also, do they even know the secret of the business' success? The means of production mean nothing if one doesn't know the secret of that business' success. I can go ahead and lead a revolution against a certain business. Let's say that I take over Jollibee in a Communist revolution. However, without the secret recipes and methods, the means of production of Jollibee will soon be misused to the point of disaster. I can always brag I can do it better. However, results may say otherwise. 

The business model will also be infeasible in the long run. Sure, there's such a thing as the employee stakeholder program. However, this is only feasible if the employees given a stake or share of the company, are worthy employees. The employees who own a part of the company through this program must also be willing to take responsibility. However, many of the people who insist that the workers own the means of production, only want the ownership but not the responsibility associated with the ownership. The bigger the power, the bigger the responibility. 

Labels:

Popular posts from this blog

COMMUNIST Vietnam Has Defeated DEMOCRATIC Philippines Again This 2025

Cổng thông tin Trung ương Đoàn TNCS Hồ Chí Minh A few days ago, I wrote about warning Filipinos that they shouldn't wait for more unmitigated typhoon disasters, before realizing that the Filipino First Policy isn't working ! There's a statement that says, "Just because being tanga (inattentive) is libre (free), doesn't mean you should be tanga!"  Analyzing the different policies: why policies  matter I found a Business World article, written by Cesar Polvorosa, Jr., on my Facebook news feed discussing the Vietnamese economy . In fact, it would be better to share some hard truths that the article offers about what really went wrong with the  democratic Philippines compared to Communist Vietnam : DIVERGENT ECONOMIC MODELS Vietnam pursued an export-oriented manufacturing strategy which has proven significantly more successful over the past half century than the Philippines’ service-heavy, remittances-dependent model . Export performance alone tells a compellin...
Read more

External Validations, like Masters and Doctorate, Mean NOTHING with a LOUSY Education System

I have the tendency to use my MBA as a license to avoid criticism. It's a real problem that some people use their credentials and/or academic achievements to try and win an argument. One incident I wrote about was Rep. Raoul Abellar Manuel flexing his "smarts" by using his cum laude degree to win the argument . It was all about how I would often say, "You're the moron because I have the MBA and you don't." There are times I felt like taking an MBA would make up for my "moral shortcomings" during high school when I was barely passing (and the passing rate was 80% , which is rather high), that I wasn't having honors, and that there was this saying, " Thou grades shalt determine thy future! " That, of course, has led to the reality where cheating is prevalent .  I wanted to make a review. I took my MBA in 2011 and graduated in 2014. I always felt that the MBA program was what I needed to become "invincible". It was also at ...
Read more

Instead of Hating Successful Chinese-Filipinos, Why Not LEARN from Their SUCCESS Instead?

It's Chinese New Year and I can remember some crazy stuff back in my childhood. Right now though, there are still some Filipinos of brown descent (either Malay or Indonesian) who still have their typical bitter attitude towards successful people. I was reminded of someone who blamed the rich, rather than their poor attitude towards money, as to why she had to work as a working student. There are still some who have their attitude of hating the rich for simply being rich . I don't deny that some rich people deserve hate. But why hate the rich person who has gotten rich through honest gain and hard work? Why not learn from good rich people who can offer sound advice instead of being bitter about their success?  Some Filipinos of non-Chinese origin may feel too proud about their being "Pure Filipino". However, any study of Filipino history will reveal that their brown skin isn't too unique. We can see Malaysians and Indonesians tend to have brown skin. Some of the ea...
Read more

Economics 101: Pre-Colonial Philippine Natives Already Did Business with Foreigners

Art by Hugo Yunzon It's finally August or Buwan Ng Wika (Month of the Language), though it may be better to call it Buwan Ng Kultura (Month of the Culture). Buwan Ng Wika programs tend to focus more on the uniqueness of several types of Filipino people. What I recall back in my high school days (late 1990s) is how I was asked to play an "American" in a Buwan Ng Wika program. There were also other people asked to portray the Chinese traders, Arab traders, Indian traders, and the Japanese occupation. It would be good to do a review of the pre-colonial Philippines. The name Philippines was derived from the Spanish king, King Philip. Back then, the natives were called Indios which sounds very similar to Indonesia . Yes, most Filipinos are either Malay or Indo. A look at the Indonesians and Malaysians would have one mistake them for Filipinos. A note is that the Chinese population there usually speaks Hokkien.  From Purdue Filpino --here's some basic information about Fili...
Read more