Marxism and the Working Poor

 

I find Marxism to be a very interesting and often overlooked paradigm and thought that focusing this post on the issue of the working poor in Canada seemed appropriate. The working poor are those who although they have jobs, still do not make enough money to live above the poverty line. Currently in Canada it is believed that the majority of people living in poverty are the working poor, not those who depend solely on welfare (Langille, 2010).

The Marxist paradigm is similar to that of the social democratic paradigm on many levels; however it also differs in many instances as well. Marxism views the world as being divided into two main classes, those who own the means of production (the ruling class) and the workers who produce the goods (the proletariat). Marxism therefore would view the current state as a capitalist state, in that it is a tool used by the ruling class to support the best interests of the ruling class; there exists a great deal of conflict then between the ruling class and the proletariats. It furthermore believes that the current welfare state is also used as a tool by the ruling class, in order to support and reinforce the institutions that create the problems that require the welfare state (Mullaly, 2007, p. 149). Essentially Marxists view the entire system as consisting of class struggles which ultimately harms the proletariats; the proletariats in this case consist of all those who do not find themselves owning the means of production.

When examining the issue of the working poor in Canada, I believe that those individuals who work hard for their pay are being exploited by the owners of the companies for which they work; individuals should be able to afford to support themselves and their families without living below the poverty line, and should therefore be paid a comfortable living wage for their work. The companies that hire these employees are not spreading the wealth with those that actually create the products, but rather they keep the excess money for themselves, whcih only furthers the divide between the two groups. Workers should receive a fair wage which should be comparable to the amount the owner recieves for selling the product; the workers and the owners should recieve a similar divide of the profits. How can the working poor ever get ahead if they continue to be held down by a capitalist system? Furthermore, when systems are in place to help the workers, who creates these systems and who's interests are kept in mind?
Take minimum wage for example, minimum wage is intended to protect workers and ensure they are being paid "fairly" for their work. However, the minimum wage in Manitoba is currently 10.00$/hour, and while it is intended to protect workers interests, it is barely a livable wage for  single individuals; a family could not be supported solely on this low income. Increases to the minimum wage are viewed by many as a strategy to combat poverty, however a fifty cent increase will not amount to enough for anyone to afford a proper home, or a substantial amount of food, or even raise themselves above the poverty line. Every individual should have their basic needs met and the minimum wage does not support this, nor does the current welfare system. The famous quote “From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 142), outlines Marx’s belief that every individual deserves to have similar basic needs and resources met, regardless of their individual contributions because every individual should be viewed as equal simply based on fact of being human (Mullaly, 2007, p. 142).The state and its policies therefore represent the primary interests of the wealthy class, ensuring that they are able to afford the labour of their workers, while still profiting enough so as to stay in control. 

Marxists are sceptical of the transformative potential of the state because the state itself serves the interests of the ruling class. Therefore, the entire system/state needs to be overthrown by the proletariats in order to achieve the abolition of capitalism. According to the Marxist paradigm, the distribution of resources based according to one’s need and public ownership, so that one may achieve pay representative of one’s work, will only be achieved by overthrowing the state; simple changes to the system would not achieve the desired outcomes. While I agree with the Marxist view of the current state and appreciate the socialist view on the current state of affairs, the only issue I have with this thinking is that an overthrowing of the current system seems unlikely. Overthrowing the entire capitalist system seems unrealistic at this point in time; I believe a social democratic view would be more achievable form of transformation.

Kirsten

References

Langille, D. (2010, January 11). Facts about the working poor in Canada. Retrieved October 29, 2011, from Poor No More: http://www.poornomore.ca/index.php?pagename=blogs

Mullaly, B. (2007). The marxist paradigm. In The new structural social work (3rd ed., pp. 138-158). Toronto: Oxford University Press.