Summary
We have assumed that labor-power is bought and sold at its value, as
determined by the labor-time necessary to produce it. However, the amount of
labor needed to provide subsistence does not always equal the length of the
work-day. The time in excess of the necessary labor time is surplus labor. Thus,
the working day is a variable quantity, which changes according to the amount of
surplus labor. However, it can only vary within limits. There is no real minimum
limit; there must be some surplus labor because of the nature of the capitalist
system, and it can approach but not reach zero. The maximum is constrained by
physical limitations and moral constraints, such as the need to fulfill other
obligations.
The capitalist has a very particular view on this matter. "As a capitalist, he
is only capital personified. His soul is the soul of capital." Capital's drive
is to create surplus-value, and make the means of production absorb as much
surplus labor as possible. If a worker uses his disposable time for himself, he
is effectively robbing the capitalist, because the capitalist lives on surplus
labor. Thus, the capitalist tries to get the maximum possible benefit from the
worker's use-value.
However, the worker has his own view about how much he should work. His labor-
power is different from other commodities, because it creates value. From
the worker's perspective, the capitalist's demands reflect an excess expenditure
of labor-power. For example, a capitalist could potentially use so much labor-
power in a day that it would take three days to restore it. "Using my labor and
despoiling it are quite different things." The worker argues that the capitalist
can't use three days worth of his labor power and only pay him for one. He
demands the value of his commodity.
Based on the principles of commodity exchange, both sides have equally valid
rights in this case. Here, force will be the solution, and the history of
capitalist production reflects such tension between the capitalists and the
workers.
Analysis
An important theme in Marx's work is class tension. According to Marx, all of
history has been defined by class conflict. Modern times are no different in
this regard, and are defined by tension between the capitalist and the worker.
Marx describes one source of this tension in this chapter, as he mentions again
the asymmetry between the use-value and exchange-value of labor-power
(already discussed in Chapter 7). In this class conflict, the capitalists are
the stronger class. This allows them to exert more force and define what workers
will be paid. However, the fact that they are the stronger class does not simply
give capitalists more bargaining power. Rather, social institutions such as
property laws are defined to support the capitalists' needs. The mode of
production reflects the economic system of capitalism. It will continue to do
so, and continue to favor the capitalists, until it self-destructs.
It is important to realize that the capitalists cannot behave differently; there
will always be tension between them and the workers. The very essence of a
capitalist is his desire to gain surplus-value. The only way to do so is to
exploit workers by failing to pay workers for the full value of what they
produce. In order to survive, the capitalist must exploit. Thus, the
tension between workers and capitalists is structural. The capitalist system
requires exploitation. Measures to ease workers' hardships, such as a minimum
wage or welfare are simply band-aids; they cannot change what a capitalist is.
