An Interview with a DE Label Employee

Video Transcript:

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What is your occupation?

I’m a worker at a retail co-op called DE Label.

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How has the company changed from 2020 to 2030?

In 2020 capitalism is thriving and is the main economic model for most companies. In 2030, it is more of the same as we are still living in a capitalistic society. However, DE Label decided to shift away from capitalism to a more sustainable model. The pandemic has opened our eyes to seeing the current problem of our economy system which is the capitalistic economy is unsustainable for workers. Hence, DE Label has transitioned from implementing a capitalist economy to adopting principles of the sharing economy. The sharing economy is a decentralised model of economy where it is based on individuals sharing assets or services through the internet.

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Why is being in a digital capitalism unsuitable for workers?

Being in a digital capitalism is unsuitable for workers because digital capitalism facilitates workers exploitation. In digital capitalism, workers are forced to sell their labour power for less than what it is often worth. Waged labour is not the only way to acquire profits. Intangible goods such as data, time and attention are traded for profits. So, workers are coerced to give more time and attention into doing their work without pay. In summary, digital capitalism has increased the exploitation of workers' unpaid labour which is very unsustainable for workers. Moreover, digital capitalism has created a gig economy where workers are not protected and more subjected to unpaid labour.

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Did you get affected by digital capitalism?

Yes, I used to work as a gig worker and found that being a gig worker is highly problematic.

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Why is being a gig worker problematic?

Gig workers are technically temporary workers or independent contractors. As independent contractors, we do not get the same benefits as the permanent workers. So no lunch break, sick leaves, minimum pay, annual leaves and other benefits. Because we do not get these benefits, we got exploited. When I was a gig worker, I got paid less than what I normally should get paid because there is no minimum pay and companies usually just paid us whatever they like, which results in a lot of cases of unpaid labour. But it’s not just about less pay, it is also about using my own resources. So I have to provide and use my own internet, laptop, electricity and that kind of stuff and I did not get paid for it. Moreover, I have to do my own tax and insurance which cost time and money, and I am not getting paid for it again. So more unpaid labour. I guess the moral of the story, gig workers get exploited a lot for unpaid labour. When the pandemic hit 2020, it was revealed that gig workers have no permanent income and are struggling to get income. Through my experience of being a gig worker back in 2020, I either have to rely on government support or scramble to find a job that will give me money. When the government allowed permanent workers to take money from their superannuation account to fund their life, I did not have that privilege because I do not get superannuation. So the reason why digital capitalism and gig economy were unsuitable is because gig workers are not protected and they have to put in more unpaid labour to receive less income.

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Why did DE Label adopt principles of a sharing economy?

DE Label adopts the principles of a sharing economy because as I said before, we believe that digital capitalism is unsuitable for workers and sustainability. The CEO deemed we have to find alternative models that pave a way for a more sustainable labour practice future and a more sustainable future. Hence DE Label chose to transition from a capitalist economy to adopting sharing economy principles.

In the sharing economy, people have less spending power and people need to sell more things to make income which means that the labour will be equivalent to the income. Moreover, the sharing economy is more environmentally sustainable. As someone from 2030 that lives in this climate changing world, being in an economy that is environmentally sustainable is a huge advantage. Although most of the sharing economy we know are built on business-as-usual foundation, DE Label decided to change the business model into a community based. Hence that is why we decided that our company should be a co-operative. Cooperatives are member owned and democratically controlled - allowing everyone that is affected by the business, such as workers to have a say in how the business is run and managed. Co-op places the community before profit which has a different principle from capitalism. In Co-op everyone has an equal power so there will be no more ownership inequality like the one in digital capitalism, and there will be less labour exploitation. Workers will not be paid less for their labour because in the co-op all the profit will go back to the worker that put the labour.

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What does being in a co-op mean to you?

Being a co-operatives means that I am not just a worker but an investor as well. It means that I have more power over the company and its decision. Being an investor also means that I am not just working for the company, I am also an investor. Being an investor means that I have ownership in DE Label which results in the money distributed only between me and other workers. So none of the profits will go through shareholders that did nothing. Anyone who works and does labour, is the one who reaps the benefits. Hence it has decreased the exploitation of unpaid labour. Moreover, being an investor in DE Label means that I have more vested interest in DE Label. When I was a gig worker, I never had an interest in the company. I will simply do a job that is good enough then that is it. However, as I have become an investor, I become more interested in doing my job because I have something at stake. My job quality has increased and I become more involved in DE Label.

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Has shifting to the co-op model changed the nature of your job or just your working conditions?

It definitely has changed the nature of my job. As I become an investor, my responsibility has also increased. Being in a co-op means that I am as involved as ever. I have to ensure that the co-op is running, creating retail production, and ensure that all members are participating in decision making and being kept up to date with what is going on. If you think about it, yes, there will be additional labour that I have to put in, as I am not only working but also have to manage the co-op. But every task is shared between members, so I don’t have to work every day to manage the co-op. Although it means that I have more desk work to do, if all the profits go to the member who puts in the work anyway, it does not really feel like unpaid labour.

Moreover, as an investor I have more power. But as we are community based, the power within DE Label will be equally distributed among the workers. So when we make decisions, we ensure that everything is democratic and everyone has an equal say by adopting an equal vote model where when we made a decision, we allowed them to have one vote per worker only.