Organizing the “unorganizable”: The case of popular economy workers in Argentina
In: Journal of Labor and SocietySearch for other papers by Ruth Felder in
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Search for other papers by Viviana Patroni in
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Our article analyzes the emergence of the Confederation of Popular Economy Workers (CTEP). The organization strives to organize workers in what has been historically conceptualized as the “informal economy,” but that CTEP proposes should be understood as the “popular economy.” First, we discuss CTEP’s questioning of dominant views about the centrality of standard work in the definition of who is a worker. We argue that CTEP has the potential to contribute to bridging the divides among a deeply fragmented working class. Second, we examine CTEP’s understanding of the popular economy and the premise of the existence of a surplus population excluded from labor markets in contemporary capitalism. One of CTEP’s key demands has been the institution of a “social salary” that would recognize the social importance of workers in the popular economy and help them overcome poverty. We argue that while this proposed political solution to the problem of poverty may contribute to building a new class awareness among precarious and informal workers, it may, at the same time, also perpetuate the dependence of precarious workers to the state and, therefore, increase the ever-present dangers of both political manipulation and political isolation from other segments of the working class.
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| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 157 | 73 | 3 |
| Full Text Views | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 15 | 4 | 1 |
Organizing the “unorganizable”: The case of popular economy workers in Argentina
In: Journal of Labor and SocietySearch for other papers by Ruth Felder in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Search for other papers by Viviana Patroni in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Our article analyzes the emergence of the Confederation of Popular Economy Workers (CTEP). The organization strives to organize workers in what has been historically conceptualized as the “informal economy,” but that CTEP proposes should be understood as the “popular economy.” First, we discuss CTEP’s questioning of dominant views about the centrality of standard work in the definition of who is a worker. We argue that CTEP has the potential to contribute to bridging the divides among a deeply fragmented working class. Second, we examine CTEP’s understanding of the popular economy and the premise of the existence of a surplus population excluded from labor markets in contemporary capitalism. One of CTEP’s key demands has been the institution of a “social salary” that would recognize the social importance of workers in the popular economy and help them overcome poverty. We argue that while this proposed political solution to the problem of poverty may contribute to building a new class awareness among precarious and informal workers, it may, at the same time, also perpetuate the dependence of precarious workers to the state and, therefore, increase the ever-present dangers of both political manipulation and political isolation from other segments of the working class.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 157 | 73 | 3 |
| Full Text Views | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 15 | 4 | 1 |