The Minimum Wage
It is urgent in each country, that the laws establish the minimum wage, in Mexico the minimum wage is twenty one pesos, some companies do not respect the law and it is clear that governments must take severe measures in these matters.
The minimum wage must always be in accordance with the needs and circumstances of the workers; the purchasing power of the currency determines the minimum wage; in each country the minimum wage is different, it is just that every government firmly establishes the minimum wage in order to save workers from capitalist exploitation.
There are two kinds of work: simple work and complicated work, it is logical that complicated work represents in fact, a double expenditure of the labour force of the worker, complicated work must be better paid than simple work, wages are therefore tiered, in any case wages should never fall below the minimum wage; countries that have not set the minimum wage subject their sons and daughters to exploitation and slavery.
The workers of these countries must unite to demand the minimum wage from their governments. HOUSE RENTAL
It is not fair that the rent of a house comes only from the workers’ pockets. Mexico at this moment is giving a wonderful example to all America.
Already in Mexico the workers receive better wages, and a certain amount of money for the payment of house rental, this amount is extra salary, extra wages.
The landlords, the capitalists, the powerful in all the countries of the earth, have scandalously raised the cost of house rental and it is not fair that the workers have pay the costs of these rents out of their salaries; the workers need to defend themselves against the capitalists, if the latter increase the price of housing, then they can also pay for it, if not totally, at least in part. We can not force every proprietor to lower the price of houses for rent, but we can demand from the employers a certain amount of money for the payment of house rental.
The workers work for the capitalist and therefore it is just that they provide housing to their workers, what’s just is just.
Many employers reading these lines will react violently against us, qualifying us as communists; capital is cruel and ruthless. Capital has no consideration for anyone, capital does not hesitate to exploit workers and raise the cost of housing, the worker has to defend himself but this does not mean communism, or anything like it; we only defend our human rights, that’s all.
SYSTEM OF CONTROL
In Colombia there is a committee to control landlords; with this they wanted to regulate the price of house rental; we have to recognize that this regulation failed due to something that in Mexico we call by the significant name of kickbacks.
The landlords gave money to the regulating authorities, gave them “kickbacks”, bribed them. Thus the regulation came to naught; it totally failed, and the population was tricked.
With these and other failures in several countries, the best thing is for workers to demand in addition to their salary, the money to rent a house; if not everything in its totality, at least in part, so we can partially solve the very serious problem of the cost of housing.
We must neither exploit nor let ourselves be exploited; it’s as bad to exploit as to be exploited.
UNIONIZATION OF TENANTS
Tenants must unite in order to unionize. Tenants unions can control landlords, tenants unions can control the cost of housing. The tenants’ unions can by means of their lawyers get improvements for their homes, reduction of prices, reforms in construction, hygiene, better services, etc.
Unity is strength. While the tenants are disunited, the landlords can arbitrarily rule over them . “The divided kingdom will be destroyed”.
The tenants constitute a kingdom, if that kingdom is united by means of unions, the landlords will not be able to govern them arbitrarily as they have done so far.
The tenants can unionize in the form of trade unions, trade unions of tenant cobblers, hairdressers, blacksmiths, newspaper vendors, doctors, brass workers, mechanics, lawyers, sweepers, engineers, etc., etc., etc.
This system of trade unionization of tenants is easy, practical and simple.
The unions, in addition to their legal representation, have wonderful weapons such as strikes, slowdowns, etc, etc., etc., in order to achieve their just intentions.
The struggle for the triumph of social justice is very long and hard, but we must never use violence, nor revolutions of blood and liquor.
The best weapon is the mind. We should defend ourselves with the wonderful weapon of thought.
We should all work for a better world; the powerful defend themselves and attack with bayonets, we the workers defend ourselves and achieve our best intentions with the wonderful weapon of intelligence.
This is superior to brute force.
Samael Aun weor