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Fears of employee displacement as Amazon brings robots into warehouses
(www.theguardian.com)
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this post was submitted on 20 Oct 2023
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I honestly don’t know what to think. Yes, people need jobs, but more importantly, they need GOOD jobs. Amazon treats people terribly and, even at their best, does the bare minimum to comply with the law and keep their warehouses staffed.
Employees are being taken advantage of. Getting people out of there might be a net positive.
We need protections for those workers (i.e. UBI, et al) BEFORE they lose their jobs to capitalist dreams, preferably funded by the capitalists.
I 100% agree with this, and that's why I can't see robots taking job as bad news.
The problem is with the society. We need to build it better, so these advantages are for us - not for some scummy rich guy.
On another note: nobody should be a billionaire.
Yes, unfortunately currently society exists to serve billionaires, and we don't see that changing much. More automation will just entrench that power further.
We need to eliminate billionaires yesterday, or risk ending up in techno neo-feudalism.
Capitalism is reaching its end road. Things will change, for better or for worse. How it will change will depend on whether politics will support the people, or the rich.. and of we continue on without changing much, it will support the rich.
I think this could have worked if the employees being replaced owned the robots. They don't have the capital anymore but when there was a middle class this could have been a possibility.
As it stands right now, we need those workers to be out of jobs and on the streets for protections to be considered. Otherwise "they have jobs," unemployment is low and the machine is "working as expected." Therefore nothing needs to be done.
I'm guessing you'll be the first to volunteer then? For the greater good and all.
I think you're missing the point, those who lose their jobs to automation are somewhat random / due to environmental factors and not up to choice so it's a bit weird suggesting that.
What they are suggesting is politicians will only act once enough people are suffering in the streets. Not necessarily saying it's morally justified, just that's what it takes for governments to take action. Nobody is defending how our politicians are failing us.
Is that what you gather from my comment? 😳
No, we don't.