The distinction made by Harvey
Harvey explains what the collective worker and the individual worker entail in terms of unproductive and productive labor. In fact, the process of labor that by extension is considered purely individual incorporates both the physical and rational attributes of labor force unison in a person.
This product from an individual laborer is later changed into the collective product of the joint laborers. The product directly created by individual employees who are united result from combining the workforce. Each of these employees stands separately when the actual labor object is being manipulated.
Thus, there are occasions when the process of labor tends to become more and more social. During this time, an individual producer appears less accountable for the direct creation of personal living given that the production functions are distinct. This is what constitute class phenomenon.
The relative surplus value is increased by augmenting labor productivity. This in turn, valorizes self-capital dubbed as the individual sort. The commodity value is usually predetermined based on the time needed to generate the user values. From this statement, the surplus value accruing from extending the time worked by each employee in the production process amounts to relative surplus value. Conversely, surplus value ensuing from extending the time that groups work amounts to the class relative surplus value.
Ways to increase the relative values from the individual sort
Capitalist may increase the quantity of relative surplus value of an individual sort in various ways. However, since the relative surplus value accrues from altering the lengths of any two working components of the day and curtailing the essential labor time, the value of relative surplus can be enhanced through urging the workforce to toil an extra mile.
That is, making the employees increase the number of weeks they work annually or quantity of hours worked in a day. To realize this, capitalists must ensure that the number of working days remain unchanged while the variable capital depicted in the labor value is reduced. The reductions might be realized through implementing the following measures.
- Capitalists should utilize machines that already exist and adopt machines that are more productive when generating surplus values.
- Reducing the inputs of materials utilized to produce a given output per unit. This implies that, capitalists can augment the individual relative surplus value by reducing the quantity of inputs that go to waste.
- Any output that is hardly traded due to its inadequate quality also known as the wasted output should be reduced.
- The intensity at which employees work or execute their duties to generate relative surplus value ought to be increased.
- The capitalists must also decrease the amount of wages or wage rates paid to the laborers.
To acquire relative surplus value, the capitalists must shorten the amount of time required to create value that is expended in the labor-power remuneration. Unlike in the acquisition of absolute surplus value that relies on increasing the amount of time worked, capitalists can acquire the value of relative surplus by transforming the technological labor processes. In fact, it is essential that capitalists must revolutionize the groups upon which the societies or the communities are separated.
The acquisition of relative surplus value requires that capitalists should shorten the time consumed by labour in the production processes and prolong the labor surplus. This will ensure that time consumed by workforce for their personal benefits will finally be transformed into workforce time. This will be for the advantage of capitalists.
Besides, it is essential that capitalists should lower the wage rates for each workforce below the employee-power values. The capitalists need to warrant that each commodity produced by a laborer including the power of labor is purchased and traded at its full value. If this is approved, the time taken to produce labor power or to reproduce value should not be reduced by limiting the wage rates beneath the employees’ power value.
In case capitalists want to reduce the labor time required in the production process, it should just be reduced by the accruing relative surplus value itself. Surplus labor can be prolonged when the time span for each working day is given, but the extension must begin by curtailing the essential labor time. Capitalists should ensure that the latter action causes the earlier event.
Labor productivity can be increased to generate surplus value. This can be achieved by decreasing the amount of time each employee works each day. In doing this, the capitalists must put measures that will ensure that the amount of wages paid to the workforce is reduced. In case the wage rates are high, then the relative surplus value ensuing from the production process managed by an individual worker will only cover the costs incurred to produce the commodities.
Most capitalists fail to increase the relative surplus values that accrue from the individual employees because machines that already exist are not used resourcefully. Given that it is difficult to generate relative surplus values using employee power alone, capitalists need to make proper use of machines that are available to increase the individual labor’s productivity.
Adopting machines will ensure that an individual becomes productive and generates additional relative surplus value. Finally, capitalists are supposed to increase the rate at which workforce executes their production duties. Machines can play decisive roles in realizing this, and wastes from products generated by individual employees will be minimized.