Join the web-seminar on perspectives along global value chains, 15 October, 14:30 – 16:00 (CET).
The developments are coming thick and fast. The corona virus is causing disruptions in the global economy. One of the most important economic sectors of modern global capitalism is the automotive industry. Even before the corona crisis, the automotive industry was under immense pressure due to overproduction and significantly declining demand. New technologies, often introduced by new suppliers from the USA and China, are bringing electric mobility and autonomously driving vehicles into play, putting even the giants of the industry under additional pressure.
In addition to new consumer habits and stricter environmental laws, certain technological developments on the production side could possibly turn the automotive industry upside down: Industry 4.0. This new type of production allows the control of every step of production and every worker in real time. The corporate headquarters thus achieve total insight into production and above all control over the bodies of the workers. In addition, the digitalization of the end product manufacturers puts pressure on the supplier industry: Digital upgrading as a competitive advantage and real-time production data transfer are contrasted in some production areas with poorly developed data protection regulations and laws.
We want to discuss the introduction of an automotive industry 4.0 into the value chains in Europe and India. What can this new form of production mean for the forms of resistance of workers? While the economic centers of the global North have high hopes for the fourth industrial revolution, there is little talk about what these innovations mean for workers in less industrialized regions. In short: What role will this new form of production play in the global class struggle?
Rakhi Sehgal is the author of a study by the Rosa-Luxemburg-Foundation on working conditions in Industry 4.0 in the automotive sector in India. She is a member of Gurgaon Shramik Kendra (Gurgaon Workers’ Center) and Gurgaon Mahila Kaamgar Sangathan (Gurgaon Working Women’s Collective). Rakhi Sehgal is a consulting researcher with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
Matteo Gaddi is a member of the working group on productive transformation at transform! europe and member of the board of the Associazione Culturale Punto Rosso and co-author of a study on working conditions in Industry 4.0 in Italy.
Following the statements, we will react and shed light on further aspects in a group discussion with activists, unionists and policy makers.
Registration
Please sign up for the event: anastasia.blinzov@rosalux.org. All participants will receive a link to the Zoom webinar via mail.
The event will be held in English. There will be a translation into German.