Just-in-time production was a key part of the process of neoliberalism and globalization, as part of the drive to maximize profits. First used in Japan in the 1970s, it spread around the world and beyond manufacture to almost every facet of capitalist economics and management systems. The core idea is that manufacturers do not hold […]
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Canada is opening up after varying degrees of restrictions due to COVID-19. Retail stores, cafes, bars and restaurants, hairdressers and many workplaces are restarting operations. Of course, many businesses and workplaces deemed essential (some rather dubiously, like building luxury condos or pipelines) never closed. Schools in most provinces are closed, apart from provision for some […]
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Teck Resources (2019 revenue of $11.9 billion, 2019 “adjusted profit” of $1.6 billion) is in the news this morning for a typically capitalist display of corona virus corporate responsibility British Columbia’s Elk Valley. Teck is upgrading facilities for its mining operations in the valley which, among other things, involves a work camp of up to […]
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John Hird is a member of Socialismo Revolucionario (ISA in the Spanish State). All Power to the Balconies! The COVID-19 crisis in the Spanish state, came to International attention on 6 March, when 60 cases in Haro, a small town in the La Rioja wine region, were traced to a funeral in the nearby Basque […]
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I work “full time” for a hotel. A cog in Vancouver’s tremendous tourism industry. Since I started work here, the fact that my contract stipulates “full time” availability with zero guaranteed hours has laid cold and squirming in the back of my mind, a worm undermining the small sense of security that comes with regular […]
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Giuliano Brunetti and Massimo Amadori are members of Resistenze Internazionali (ISA in Italy). The Italian Employers federation ‘Confindustria’ continues to demand that factories and production sites remain open, meaning they are openly working to spread the pandemic. It means that they are objectively responsible for the worsening of the situation. With over 5476 dead in […]
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Last week, the WHO was forced to say what everyone already knew — the COVID-19 disease spread by the coronavirus — is a global epidemic. From day one, the spread of the virus has been a testimony to the inability of our current social system, capitalism, to cope with crises and the constant quest to […]
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Giuliano Brunetti is a member of Resistenze Internazionali (ISA in Italy). Shut it down before it’s too late! The virus doesn’t stop at the factory gates! After unnecessary delay, the government has now decided to step up measures to contain the spread of the Coronavirus in Italy. From March 10, a decree by the President […]
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Per Olsson is a member of Rättvisepartiet Socialisterna (ISA in Sweden). Largest market collapse since 2008 crisis The collapse on the world’s stock exchanges on March 9 was the largest since the beginning of the global capitalist crisis in 2008. The fall on the US stock market at opening time was so severe that it […]
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International Socialist Alternative is a member of ISA’s International Executive Committee. Covid-19 has now spread to all continents. At the time of writing it is unclear how long the crisis will last, how many will be affected and how many will die. The effect it is having on the world economy is already becoming clear […]
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