Hope it is OK to post to the list now.

Have other readers of/ participants in the list come across
the following which may be of interest to them?
'World Employment Policies 1996/7 - National Policies in a
Global Context' (ISBN 92 2 110326 9) price �18.90 available
from Marion Motts, International Labour Office, Vincent House,
Vincent Square, London SW1P 2NB, UK. Tel +44 0101 828 6401/
Fax +44 0171 233 5925.

It argues that 'full employment is still achievable despite
economic globalisation.. While the report recognises the
adverse impact that globalisation can have on specific groups,
it also believes that there are significant benefits and
opportunities for all countries. It calls for governments to
target their assistance measures more effectively, and for
countries to co-operate more in order to free up the flow of
trade and investment, improve international financial
stability, protect basic labour rights and help the least
development countries. Increased labour market flexibility is
not the solution to the unemployment situation, says the
report, which concludes by calling for a combination of
measures that will tackle the economic, social and employment
problems.'

Similarly the ILO's 'International Labour Review' Vol 135, No
6 (ISSN 0020 7780) �11.88 from ILO Publications, International
Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland (Tel 41 22 799
61 11/ Fax 41 22 798 63 58, Email [EMAIL PROTECTED]
code for Switzerland I guess) 'rethinks the nature and future of work in t�
he light of economic "liberalisation".. Among
issues explored by the ten contributors are:

* rethinking the concept of work and how to manage its
  transformation
* the value of labour law and the need for its overhaul,
  including a clause for the right to work
* work and the low significance of the wage-employment model
  in India
* alternative views about the value of work in western
  society, based on the idea of "a good society"
* resurgence of unremunereated work, its importance and value
* the dichotomy between public and private sector work and
* blurring the boundaries between work and training.


Incidentally to the discussion which seems to have emerged
recently on the list of 'what is the futurework list for',
this is the sort of information I have picked up through
reading the list so I thought it only fair to put something
back (although I am sure someone else will probably already
have spotted it and posted it to the list). I value the list
for this sort of information as well as the wise words of Ray
Harrell Evans and others whose discussions I enjoy. I think
that Ray is right to say that the future of work is ultimately
an aesthetic question and this agrees with what I take to be
the position of our two greatest modern Western philosophers 
- Marx and Nietzsche. Immediately however the future of work
is obviously an economic and political issue.

However, my efforts to participate in the discussion on the
list have been hampered I think by cultural differences - I
don't really share the same (North American) universe/ form of
life and therefore find it hard to join in but I don't mind. I
have replied to several contributors to the discussion
individually and sometimes get replies back from them, so I
would imagine this sort of discussion also goes on around the
list unmonitored by the excellent list-servers.

I am sending this to the new futurework address. I hope it
gets there. All your messages seem to reach me as usual -
touch wood!

with best wishes,

Patrick Ainley.

Reply via email to