Big Businesses + The Working Class

Currently main stream media are telling us that businesses aren’t confident that Labour can control our economy. “Don’t trust Balls with the economy” is what they are saying, they insist he will ruin our economy, ruin businesses and bring our country into ruin.

Because our country is great now, right!? We only had a million children in poverty at Christmas, hundreds of Food Banks have opened in the first two months of 2015 and thousands of already established food banks are still running and thriving with new customers every day. Loan Sharks like Wonga are getting busier day by day and new “pay-day loan” companies are trying to compete with ridiculously high interest rates creating a greater market for ripping off the poor. People are spending more on their energy consumption, not because it’s winter and very cold, but because the bills were so high, although they have recently lowered, meaning “people can afford more” according to the energy companies. Although the Tories are saying that working people are earning more than before, the money at the end of the month is still too low. When really, the increase is being seen in the bonuses of the corporate execs and their annual salary.

The parallel lives that we live and they live are clear and if we listen to them, they will lead us to prosperity for themselves and less for us. By them, I mean the rich business owners, and by us, I mean the working class. I must be clear in pointing out that I mean the owners of large companies like those who have been commenting on politics in the media. Not the small business owners who are also one of us in the working class, trying to make a success of themselves and their business.

If you believe in equality, you believe in a fair distribution of wealth. This however, doesn’t mean John works 50 hours, earning £500, while Jack earns £300 from 30 hours so John must give Jack £100 so they have equal wealth. It means that we must be paid fairly for the work we do in relation to the time we work and the profits made from our labour. So John and Jack in the example, have quite a fair deal, they both earn £10 an hour and both got paid that amount.

First of all, if businesses were doing so well, the people that work for these companies would be feeling it and small businesses would most definitely be making more. In order for the economy to thrive, we need more money to be spent, In order for more money to be spent; we need the majority of people to have more money.

This is where we currently fall down because the majority of people who spend the most combined don’t have a lot of money and even when working themselves to the bone, still aren’t earning enough to be able to do the things they want to and buy the nice things they want.

Recently, Mr Scameron said “Britain Needs A Pay Rise”. Agreed, Britain does need a pay rise. So what did Scameron do? He told businesses to pay their staff more. If I was Prime Minister and I wanted people to be paid more, I’d raise the minimum wage, but Scameron believes it’s not up to him or his party, it’s up to the businesses.

So can we trust the businesses to pay more? Actually, will they pay enough?

Many years ago, businesses would use slaves to avoid paying staff; then slavery got ruined for them so they had to do something new. Kids, those pesky kids taking up space in the street playing games. Let’s get them prepared for the real world and put them to work. That got scrapped, even the work houses where the kids were lucky enough to live next door to their workplace, receive a form of food from their employer and not have to ever leave, unless they get ill and then it’s the curb.

Then the businesses realised they could pay women less, this was great for the businesses, get the women in on a lower pay but they can feel good for helping towards their family bills. Yes this got scrapped as well because unbeknown to the businesses, women are equal to men and deserve the same pay.

Immigrants was another great opportunity for the businesses of Britain, pay them as little as possible and they won’t complain because we can scare them into thinking they will get kicked out the country and if we get ones who are here without a visa, they definitely won’t complain. But yes, those lefties’ ruined that as well.

For all of time we’ve learnt that if there is a way to pay staff less they will, so why when their mate Mr Scameron tells them to pay us more, will they pay us more? Their wealth has doubled in the last 5 years, while the working class have got into more debt and had to dip into savings to make ends meet. The bonuses paid to the CEO’s and top-grade staff have increased, while we’ve been told profits are tight and there are cuts across the board.

The only type of business where the workers can have real control is in a co-operative. All of the staff own shares in the business and have a say in how the profits are used while still earning interest on their shares. Labour has said they will give staff the opportunity to take over the company they work for if it goes under.

This is a policy that in a time where we’re seeing companies close weekly could really bring power into the hands of the working class. Imagine a town where everyone in the town owned shares in at least one business in the town centre and also worked for these businesses. Everyone would have a shared interest in how the town is run, how well the businesses do, how good the town looks and most of all each other because if the town is doing well and the businesses are making profits, these profits are shared equally so everyone is feeling the wealth. Sharing responsibility and ownership, creating pride and unity leading to mutual wealth.

I really like Fried Chicken and if someone came along and said they were going to run for parliament and get rid of chicken shops, I would probably be in a rage and encourage others to think about not voting for them. Just like how Labour are challenging the inequality of Britain’s large businesses and they are now scared that they will have to pay their staff fairly, stop giving massive bonuses for those at the top and minimal amounts to those at the bottom of the scale and pay their taxes properly. These things ought to make you mad, like fried chicken makes me mad – so get out and vote!

So how do we fix this inequality between the big corporates and us, the working class? The Magna Carta, not the album, the original. That document that says everybody is subject to the law. The corporates pay taxes like we do. The CEO’s and executives do business properly and legitimately. Big companies and banks are not bailed out by our Government when in trouble, but the senior management held to account for their failures. Finally the Government, we need to hold our MP’s and Government officials to account for when they don’t get things right and let the people that voted them in down.

Look at the history, we’re in a state now where the Government is doing less, nearly as little as in the 1930’s when women couldn’t vote, racism was accepted, the LGBT community were illegal, people lived in poverty and workers had no rights or fair pay. We need a Government that will spend money on the services for the majority and raise the standards in which we work, including raising the minimum wage, not leaving it to the likes of the big businesses who never did it back in the 1930’s.

On May 7th, we have the opportunity to vote against inequality, we can vote to stop the big businesses getting away with avoiding tax payments, we can vote to change the establishment so vote for a future with equality and in favour of us, the working people!