(This
is based on “Marx’s Capital” written by Ben Fine and Alfredo Saad-Filho,
translated and published in Telugu by Prajasakti Book House and also based on
the book “The People’s Marx” which is an abridged popular edition of the 3
volumes of Marx’s Capital, edited by Julian Borchardt and published by
Prajasakti Book House and other references)
(For Part-12,
please see the blog entry dated 24-1-2012)
Surplus Value and Exploitation
The
truth of the theory that it is only the labour power which creates its value
and surplus value(profit) and the insufficiency of other theories to explain
the origin of profit
1. Earlier, we observed that the
labour power of the worker is the only input in the production which
contributes more value to the product than its own value. This value
contributed by the labour power to the product, in excess to its own value, is
the surplus value.Thus in the production; the labour power (worker) not only
contributes its own value, but also contributes surplus value to the product.
2. The truth of this theory that the
labour power is the only input in production that contributes its own value and
also surplus value to the product can be verified by verifying the other
theories that try to explain about the generation of profit (surplus value).
3. The ususal explanations for the origin of profit are, (a) that it is the result of abstinence or
sacrifice (abstaining from the present consumption of goods to accumulate
capital), (b) waiting (waiting patiently
for the return, after investment) or (c)
risk (risk taken by the capitalist in production and sales) etc.
4. But the sacrifice, waiting, risk
etc are only the conditions of profit, not the cause of profit. The poor are
making sacrifices, but not getting profit. Every body waits for some thing
without necessarily getting any profit. Waiting is there in earlier societies
also where there is nothing like profit. Even animals wait. Risk is taken by so
many people in so many ways without getting any profit. Therefore all these are
not the source of profit.
5. There is another theory of factor
returns. It treats men and materials equally, as things or factors. It says the
factors in production like land, building, machinery, raw materials owned by
the capitalist give him his profit and the other input worker’s labour, is
rewarded with wage. It is, as if the
machene generates profit, and as if the money is grown on the tree!
6. But what is to be noted is that the inputs or
the factors of production existed in all societies whereas profits, wages,
rents or even prices are comparatively new in the history (For example in a
simple commodity producing society with barter system, the land, tools, raw
materials and labour are there without capital, wage labour, proft, rent,
interest, or price.). Hence these factors themselves cannot be the source of
profit, since in earlier societies they have not given profit.
7. These theories fail to recognize
the fact that it is not things (material or immaterial) that create the
economic categories like capital, wage labour, profit, rent, price etc. It is
the existence of definite social relations between people that gives rise to
these categories. The mainstream economic theory fails to recognize the social
relations between people as the source of the economic categories and hence it
is inadequate.
Past
labour and direct living labour
8. The fact is that all value is
created by labour, and the surplus value is brought about by direct
exploitation of living labour. The land that is made ready for agriculture or
construction, the machene, the raw materials etc which are the means of production
are nothing but nature modified by labour. They are the result of past labour. Therefore
the value of the means of production is the past labour (labour time) in them.
9. The worker with his labour power
works on these means of production. Hence the worker is contributing direct,
living labour in the production.
10. In the process of production, the
value of the means of production is transferred in part (in the case of
building or machene etc) or in full (raw materials converted as the product).
This value was created by the past labour. But the direct, living labour of the
worker who works on the raw materials and machene contributes its own value and
surplus value to the product.
If
labour power does not create value and surplus value, the capitalist will not
advance his money for production
11. Suppose the land, machene, raw materials,
electricity and such means of production transferred value x
to the product, all put together. This is nothing but a transfer of the
existing value. Suppose the labour power
(worker) also contributed its own value, say y to the product and
nothing more. Then the value of the product will be x+y, which is equal
to the value advanced by the capitalist for purchasing means of production and
labour power.In such case, if he begins and ends with the same value,
why he should take the trouble of advancing his money for the production? In
such case he will not advance his money for the production.
How
the labour power creates value and surplus value
12. Therefore the labour power is the
commodity which contributes value and surplus value. But how?
13. To understand this, it should be
noted that the valuation of labour power and the utilisation of that labour
power in the labour process are two different things.
14. The purchaser of any commodity has
the right on its use value. For example, if a person purchases a shirt, he has
the right on the use value of the shirt, that is, he can use it until it is
worn or torn.
15. Similarly the purchaser of the
labour power, the capitalist, has the right on its use value.It belongs to him,
and not to the worker who sold it to him.
16. The capitalist has paid the daily
value of the labour power and therefore its use for the entire day belongs to
him.
17. Let us suppose that the daily value
of the labour power (the socially necessary labour time required to produce the
value of the wage of the worker) is 5 hours labour time. Therefore by working
for 5 hours, the worker has contributed the value equal to his wage. But as
said above, since the capitalist paid the daily value of the labour power, he
has the right to utilise that labour power for 10 hours or more. Suppose the
capitalist ordered the worker to work for 10 hours. In such case he got double
the value of the wage paid by him, since in the first 5 hours he will get the
value of the wage given by him and in the next 5 hours he will get the value
free of cost.
18. The value contributed by the worker
in the first 5 hours is the value equal to his wage and the surplus value
contributed in the next 5 hours is the surplus value or the profit of the
capitalist. Thus the labour power of the worker is exploited by the capitalist
to create surplus value for him.
Necessary
labour time and surplus labour time
19. The labour time of 5 hours in
which the value of the wage is contributed, is the necessary labour time.
The labour time of 5 hours in which surplus value is contributed is the
surplus labour time. The capitalist pays to the worker for the necessary
labour time of 5 hours during which the value of the wage is contributed. But
the surplus value contributed by the worker during the surplus labour time of 5
hours is appropriated (taken away) by the capitalist. It is therefore clear
that the worker creates value during the necessary labour time and surplus
value during the surplus labour time in a working day and the surplus value is
taken away by the capitalist without any remuneration to the worker.
Exploitation
and rate of exploitation
20. The surplus value thus created by
the worker during the surplus labour time of the working day is taken away by
the capitalist without paying any thing to the worker. This is called the exploitation
of labour.
21. In a working day the labour power
of the worker performs the work (labour) and contributes value and surplus
value to the product. Hence one day’s labour of the worker is the total of
value and surplus value. If we denote one day’s labour as l , value as v,
and surplus value as s, then l=v+s.
22. The rate of exploitation is
the ratio between the surplus labour time and the necessary labour time or
between the surplus value and value. In
this case it is 5 hours÷5 hours=100 per cent. This can be stated as, the rate
of exploitation (e) =Surplus value(s)÷value (v) or e=s/v.
The composition of the capital
23. Now let us analyse the capital
advanced by the capitalist. The capital he advanced for land, machene, and raw
materials (for means of production) is a constant capital. It is because
these inputs only transfer their value to the product and not any additional
value.
24. But the capital advanced by the capitalist for
purchasing labour power is dfferent. It is because the labour power purchased
with this capital not only transfers its own value to the product, but adds
more value to the product. Therefore it (the capital advanced for wage) is
called the variable capital.
25. The
constant capital (land, building, machene, raw materials, electricity etc) is
denoted by c and the variable capital by v. (It can be seen that
the variable capital which is the value of labour power (wage) is part of the
total labour of the working day in the formula l=v+s in the para
21 above.)
26. Both the c and v
detailed in the above para are capital since it is the value in money advanced
by the capitalist to make profit.
27. The value of any commodity
includes constant capital, variable capital and surplus value. This is because the
value of any commodity is made up of the following components: (a) the value
contributed from means of production
(land, building, machinery and raw material) which is called constant capital, c;
(b) the value of the labour power, which is called as variable capital, v;
and (c) the surplus value generated by the labour power, s.
Cost
of the commodity and profit
28. In para 27 above, we observed
that the value of a commodity is made up of three components-the value
contributed by constant capital c, the value of the labour power called
as variable capital v, and the surplus value s generated by
labour power. If we denote the value of the commodity as V, then V=c+v+s.
In this, c+v is the cost of the commodity and s is the surplus
value which will form the profit in the money form.
Marx
revealed the secret of the source of profit
29. It is to be noted that the
mainstream economics explain the price as the cost plus profit. It is not
really telling where from this profit is coming. Marx proved that the profit is
the money form of the surplus value created by the labour power(worker) over
and above its value(wage) and it is appropriated by the capitalist without any
remuneration to the worker. Thus the secret of the exploitation behind the
concealing theory of price as the cost plus profit is revealed by Marx.
కామెంట్లు లేవు:
కామెంట్ను పోస్ట్ చేయండి