Labour and Freedom

May is the month in which we recognize the role of Labour and Freedom in our communities.

The relationship between the quality of Labour and the access to Freedoms as a consequence, is important to recognize, especially in a developing economy such as that of Zambia.

Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines Labour as: (1) human activity that provides the goods or services in an economy, (2) the services performed by workers for wages as distinguished from those rendered by entrepreneurs for profits.

Nobel laureate for Economics Amartya Sen indicates that labour is a key ingredient in the discussion on Development as Freedom, since “labour has a direct impact on the Capability of human beings to lead the kind of lives that they value”.

Sen’s notion of Capability may be defined as “the various combinations of beings and doings that a person can achieve and value”.

There is therefore an argument for the development or widening of peoples ‘Capabilities’ in order for them to have the freedom to choose how to live their lives, and actually live as they have chosen.

Some basic mechanisms would need to be put in place for most people to both widen their capabilities and make their choices, and these include a democratic and non oppressive environment, access to education and health care, access to information, and the recognition and implementation of women’s rights.

Sen argues that Individual Capability depends on the Collective Capability, as individual preferences and tastes are usually a reflection of the community that one lives or works in.

From this argument, it is clear to see that civil communities or indeed labour communities, will seldom develop the freedom to work and live as each individual may choose, but may have to make these decisions as a collective in the form of neighbourhood committees, village councils , women’s movements, staff associations, and labour unions.

These collectives provide individuals with interactive opportunities to share ideas and values, and help to develop consensus on issues impacting on their lives. They also provide a concentrated capacity to challenge the more powerful entities of Employers, Boards, and Authorities in negotiations on decisions and activities that are of interest to all stakeholders.

Through this process, a balance can be achieved between the demands of economic development, and those of social and cultural development. A development program that does not embrace the values, traditions and cultures of the community is likely to bring conflict, skepticism, lethargy and even hostility that will make the entire initiative unsustainable.

Sen criticizes the choice-based facet of economics on grounds that our choices can be biased by sublime and direct mental conditioning and other mechanisms that can be used to sway our reasoning, thus providing the scenario of ‘free will’, but essentially achieving the results as determined by the powerful and dominant players.

A case therefore exists for communities and labour to become powerful. A key requirement is information on the various issues with a wide selection to cover both pros and cons. Additionally, the freedom to provide labour is enhanced by the quality of the labour itself.

Zambia must make special effort to upgrade the quality of labour from essentially school leavers, to skilled artisans, technicians, engineers, accountants, analysts, consultants, etc. The improved quality of labour will increase the capacity of Zambians to choose where they employ their labour, and widen the freedoms to work locally, in the region, or abroad. The enhanced quality of labour will have a direct impact on increased productivity, and consequently a direct impact on incomes, thereby giving the individual a wider set of choices, options to exercise preferences, and opportunities to follow both cultural and traditional values.

No institution can function positively and sustainably without human labour. Machinery requires setting up, tuning, and servicing to remain functional. Human labour needs basically the same requirements but must be motivated through a form of equity and belonging in order to achieve sustainable growth and well being.

Zambia is challenged to consider labour as a resource that can be exported into the region and further abroad in favour of earning foreign currency. This is essential in the current situation where there are insufficient industries and economic activity to absorb the thousands of Zambians pouring into the labour market each year. Africa is challenged to become a major contributor to the ‘Trade in Services’ discussion at the World Trade Organization because huge opportunities can be exploited in the continents agenda to develop Tourism, Agriculture, Mining and Services which are all labour intensive.

Published 8 May 2007