The gig economy presents a significant opportunity for capitalists to counteract the decline in the rate of profit. In response to the profitability decline since 1997, which was exacerbated by the COVID pandemic, capitalists aim to increase the intensity of work and tighten labour discipline to extract more surplus value from workers. Gig work capitalists take advantage of workers' job precariousness, and they enjoy the absence of unions, which enables them to heighten this trend. The clear solution to this exploitative relationship is public ownership of the platform, which after all is a means of production similar to the machinery in a car factory. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to develop a political strategy and a set of tactics with transitional demands that will unite gig workers themselves, unite them with other workers, and together resist the capitalist offensive.
Tag: strike
Federal Public Service Workers Prepare to Strike: Refusing to Pay for the Inflation They Didn’t Cause
Over 124,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and around 35,000 Union of Taxation Employees are now in a legal strike position. Though some of them are designated "essential", PSAC says that over 100,000 staff could still…
Socialist Action at Climate Strikes across the Canadian state
It was an historic day around the world. Years from now, you are likely to remember where you were on Friday, September 27, 2019. Over 7 million people took to the streets for the global climate strikes, "including 12,000 here…
Read More Socialist Action at Climate Strikes across the Canadian state
Liberals break Ontario College Teachers Strike – with hardly a peep from union tops
by Barry Weisleder After 86 per cent of 12,000 Ontario community college teachers rejected Management's last offer in a forced vote, the Liberal government of Kathleen Wynne broke their strike with a law pushed through the Ontario Legislature on Sunday, November…
Read More Liberals break Ontario College Teachers Strike – with hardly a peep from union tops
Lessons of Parkdale Rent Strike Win
After 3 ½ months of a rent strike by 300 people in 12 buildings in the Parkdale district (in the downtown south-west) of Toronto, tenants forced landlord MetCap Living Management Inc. to make a number of concessions. These include reductions…
Ontario College Teachers fight for quality education, decent jobs, equity and a better future
Victory to the Strikers! More than 12,000 community college faculty, members of the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union, have been making headlines since the start of their province-wide strike October 16. The union is fighting to improve education quality for students…
Socialist Action walks in solidarity with striking Pearson International Airport workers
Teamsters Local 419 represents 700 workers employed by Swissport, a multinational company subcontracted to handle baggage for several airlines at Toronto's Pearson International Airport (YYZ). The workers have been on strike since July 27. Their demands are: wage increases that…
Read More Socialist Action walks in solidarity with striking Pearson International Airport workers
Turkish Metalworkers Strike
The Renault autoworkers in Bursa, Turkey, halted production on May 15. Tofaş workers, who produce Fiat cars, stopped working the following day. The wildcat strikes spread to six other factories in the metal sector in Bursa. Several other factory workers…