Whether your preference is for capitalism or for socialism, or even for Drucker’s post capitalism and knowledge society, or the economic justice of Kottler, you should do your duty and not complain about the result. This statement sounds reasonable in countries such as Australia where according to the OECD (2019) classification, unions are mostly centralized or “organized decentralized”. In other words, this means that they are registered bodies and are regularly represented by a political party (usually the Labor Party). However, in south America, there is not a broad-based representation and unions (Sindicatos) are part of a more decentralized system. As a result, to be part of a union in South America can be dangerous since unions throughout the world are aligned to left wing parties and the dispute between left and right-wing groups in South America is still violent.

At this point, it is worth asking: are unions an expression of communism or socialism? A possible answer is no. However, according to Macintyre, S. (2022), in the 1920s when communism reached its peak in the Soviet Union, Australia’s Communist Party also followed their lead and those who joined the Communist Party, did so of their own accord and this had never happened before.

Although the Communist Party in Australia in the 1930s had built up their own interpretation of communism, Macintyre, S. (2022), explains that communism set down its deepest Australian roots in the organized working class. Therefore, unions nowadays are aligned with some of the ideals of communism such as the goal of improving working class lifestyle.

Macintyre also argues that communism failed and never returned after Gorbachev’s Glasnost and Perestroika agreements and the fall of the Berlin wall. Furthermore, new economic models and movements emerged such as post capitalism, the knowledge society, and economic justice. In like manner, in developed countries, unions and Labor parties have become stronger – to bring an example from just a few weeks ago, Anthony Albanese, the representative of the Labor Party in Australia became Prime Minister of this country.

It is clear that not just in developed countries but also around the world we must have discussions within legal and peaceful frameworks. In this way, we can hear all points of view and then make the best decisions informed by democratic models. In this manner, leaders will not complain anymore and play their roles ethically, then society can find ways to handle the challenges coming from different economic models.

Reviewed for Heather Jones. BA, MLitt, Grad Dip in Theo, Adv. Diploma in TESOL.

E: milkwoodproperty@gmail.com

W: http://www.heatherjonesauthor.com

M: +61 402 155 612

Sources:

OECD (2019), Negotiating Our Way Up: Collective Bargaining in a Changing World of Work, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/1fd2da34-en.

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Macintyre, S. (2022). The Reds: The Communist Party of Australia from origins to illegality. Retrieved from https://library-brisbane.ent.sirsidynix.net.au/client/en_AU/eLibCat

Wajda, A. (Director). (1982). Man of Iron. [Film]. Polish