Imani Tafari-Ama | The political economy of time

A well-worn dictum of western capitalism admonishes, “time is money; don’t waste it!” This theme is at the heart of the transaction of exchanging labour for wages. Pervasive capital-labour practices were deemed exploitative by Karl Marx.

This perception is maintained by his followers who continue to critique the operations of capitalism, to this day. The Marxist counter-narrative is that superexploited workers do not enjoy the surplus value of their labour. This is because the extractive supremacy of capital supersedes the capacity of the worker to control the terms of the labour contract.

In Jamaica, this impasse is reflected in the repetitive ritual in which teachers are currently deadlocked with the Ministry of Finance over wage talks. Discussions have stalled since the teachers refused the government’s offer of zero per cent in the first year, (described as a wage freeze), and 2.5 per cent in the following three years. This amounts to a wage hike proposal of 7.5 per cent.

Newly minted Jamaica Teachers’ Association president, Mark Malabver described the offer as disrespectful. The confrontation is enough to stir memories of a couple years ago when the government awarded itself a 300 per cent salary increase in top-heavy contrast to the single-digit consideration for public sector workers’ contracts.

This annual charade highlights a pervasive syndrome of undervaluing the time that educators spend delivering their enlightenment product. It also underestimates the inputs involved in the behind-the-scenes investment in preparation for the lessons developed and the aftermath of delivery in the classroom. This hyperexploitation of teachers’ labour resources was not on Damion Crawford’s mind when he had his recent epiphany about solving illiteracy and citizen insecurity in one fell swoop.

Senator Crawford stirred up a hornet’s nest when he suggested that teachers should volunteer to be paid to teach extra lessons to compensate for shortfalls in students’ capabilities. According to the Opposition spokesman on education, his proposal is intended to also reduce student vulnerability to criminality. This reasoning is due to the time gap that now exists between school closure at 3 p.m. and parental availability after working hours – approximately 7 p.m.

Persons who are opposed to this suggestion cite the low pay teachers receive, their unpaid care work in the household and the inability of schools to compensate for declined social values and attitudes, which are main drivers of crime. These objections are among the reasons that such a corrective action scheme is deemed unsustainable.

As Kiyosaki explained in his book Rich Dad, Poor Dad, under current labour arrangements, the state is at liberty to subtract one-third of your salary as tax, even before you have a chance to collect it. And there is no Internal Revenue Service in Jamaica, such as exists in the United States (US), which provides the possibility of tax returns. So, while you can see the calculation of your gross salary on your pay slip, the amount that you actually collect for your net pay is substantially less than what you earned. Of course, at the end of the day, capital is the main beneficiary.

The payment differentials among categories of workers also show that as jackass would say, di worl nuh level. This is reflected in variations in pay earned for the time spent pursuing a living wage. When you compare the wages of weekly, fortnightly and monthly paid workers, it is striking that the monthly paid workers are compensated for less time than are their lesser-paid counterparts. Weekly and fortnightly workers get paid for the exact time that they work for.

On the other hand, monthly-paid workers labour for two or three days more than their weekly and fortnightly counterparts. They may work 22 or 23 days in a thirty- or thirty-one-day month, respectively. February is the short-month exception. Monthly paid workers also do not get overtime payment, such as time and a half and double time for working on public holidays and weekends. Weekend workers also lose the value-added of personal downtime and quality time to spend with loved ones. Weekend work thus requires personal sacrifice for the creation of corporate profit.

Speaking of making a profit, has it ever struck you as odd that entities like Passport and Immigration Citizenship Agency and The University of the West Indies have a tier of charges for the services they offer? If you urgently need a new passport or an academic transcript, it will cost way more for the short-term service, vis-à-vis the lengthier option. If a passport or transcript can be obtained in twenty-four hours, shouldn’t this be the norm? Why charge more for a service that the system can expedite instead of causing the customer to dig deeper in their pockets?

In these times of economic challenges, value for money is a major concern. Consumers want the maximum utility for the expenditure of energy, time and money. In the face of this conservative economic climate, state and private sector entities should consider the political economy of time and ensure that consumers get best value for spending their money.

Jamaica used to be one of the most educated countries in the Caribbean. However, nowadays, we are seen as one of the most illiterate societies in the region. The education proposal mentioned earlier, in combination with the citizen security issue should really be on the ballot for the upcoming general election. That way, we could be assured that there is commitment and a mandate to create change in these crucial areas.

The population must demand that these critical platforms for development get the attention they deserve. These sectors provide important indicators to measure political and economic success, without which socio-economic advancement will be missing in action. In spite of notable progress, the education sector’s failures directly impact employment opportunities available to school leavers.

While minimum wage starting salaries are the norm for many youth workers, improved education capabilities is crucial for defining the direction of Jamaica’s workforce and socio-economic futures.

Imani Tafari-Ama, PhD, is a Pan-African advocate and gender and development specialist. Send feedback to i.tafariama@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com