Modern Capitalism gets around minimum wages by sacking staff and replacing with automation. That’s what the US hamburger chain, Wendy’s are doing. This will happen everywhere around the world – have you noticed McDonald’s are now fitting ‘self-service’ terminals? It’s all about not sharing the wealth and having more and more billionaires.
Please read the following article by Hazel Sheffield, UK Independent 18/05/16:
Everything seems to be changing to self service these days. Driverless trains, hole in the wall banks, ie ATMs, robots on production lines. Apparently up to 47% of the American workforce will be replaced by automation in the future. Businesses will get richer but what will happen to ordinary workers? And yet our immigration numbers are escalating whilst jobs are disappearing. This doesn’t augur well for the future!
So what happens when there’s nobody employed, and therefore, no money from the masses to buy products from the greedy?
A key problem is that corporations are legally persons, so corporations can themselves, as though they were individuals, own shares in corporations. Hence corporate mergers, one swallows up another, and another swallows up that giant to become a super-giant. And these “persons” are immortal.
That is the “common law”, the result of “precedent”, but legislation could fix it.
dear o dear poor multinationals in the u.s how they must miss the 7 dollar minimum wage they fort so hard to keep. there board members must be crying into the still waters they drink, that cost more than one of their works can make in a hour. and wonder why people get upset that some on minimum wage, have to hold down 3 part time jobs just to pay the rent on a place they wouldn’t let their pet live in. now if another family member can get work that will buy a little food. America the great…….. not for the vast majority just the select few. its always been that way inclined, but is getting far worse, real fast. the commos wont be its end it, will fall from within like most civilisations, as the plebs can only take so much. a fact the super rich never seem to learn.
Until we see the mass importation of frozen fast food end product, it’s difficult to fathom what form of competition experienced by any fast food outlet would necessitate the implementation of mechanised labour, except to say it’s all about greed.
Of course we as a nation are currently drunk on cheap imports and continue to drive our own industries and those they employ out of business each time we opt for the cheap and nasty.
The most galling thing about it all is, that on many occasions these cheap imports are often produced by locally owned companies which have moved off shore long ago for numerous reasons, but mainly to do with negligence, greed and incompetence by government, business and unions.
Donald Trump is on the money when he spoke about hitting these companies with extra tax as they import their product. Australia should do the same.
This is capitalism gone mad! How do they think we can ever buy their burgers if we can’t get jobs to earn the money buy them? It makes the case for UBI imperative if this becomes the norm. Either that or we’re one step closer to seeing the pitchforks coming out! It’s not the technology, it’s the way it’s used without something like UBI to offset the fact that people can’t get enough work & income to survive & even just to eat!