James Bloodworth on the Evils of the Gig Economy

💥Join us on our Journey to 1 Million Subscribers💥 James Bloodworth is an English journalist and author of Hired: Six Months Undercover in Low-Wage Britain
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About TRIGGERnometry:
Stand-up comedians Konstantin Kisin (@konstantinkisin) and Francis Foster (@failinghuman) make sense of politics, economics, free speech, AI, drug policy and WW3 with the help of presidential advisors, renowned economists, award-winning journalists, controversial writers, leading scientists and notorious comedians.

[@triggerpod]

Remember to LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and SUPPORT the channel!

[@stevep5408]

My local Amazon warehouse didn't have air-conditioning when it opened. There solution was to have ambulances in the lot to hall off people who went down with heat stroke. Look it up, Lehigh valley Pennsylvania.

[@DieFlabbergast]

*haul off

[@peterc3262]

That is insane.

[@daviddurkan23]

This sounds unbelievable until you remember that Flint had poisoned water and no one even cared

[@amandafaulks2515]

@@daviddurkan23 it's still toxic...

[@HyperionMV]

watching you guys from the intercoastal waterway on a boat while running away from hurricane Dorian across South Carolina. Very entertaining.

[@altprop826]

The Labour party has given up representing the interests of workers and has even demonstrated disdain for them. Instead it has taken to spreading identity politics as a way to overthrow its political opponents. The Labour unions are fully on board with that strategy.

[@LusciousTwinkle]

Well YEAH!!! The Labour party doesnt represent the proletariat anymore... The bourgeoisie took over long ago...

[@WorthlessWinner]

This seems to be a global phenomenon on the left.

[@mjc01]

BS labour.org.uk/manifesto/fair-deal-work/

[@mjc01]

@@LusciousTwinkle And more BS labour.org.uk/manifesto/fair-deal-work/

[@mirandabrunskill7755]

I've joined The Free Speech Union instead.

[@rehurekj]

the last smirk when he mentioned mens right movement just ruined it to me, he's got good head on his shoulders but hes still subscribed to the same identity politics hes so against, like when he said rich white men benefiting from opression women etc. if you need to be using racial and gender descriptions even if you speak about classes and privileges of rich then youre integral part of this identity politics and fragmentation no matter how much you speak against it.

[@LusciousTwinkle]

I havent ordered off Amazon in 6 months. There are other options including going directly to source.

[@theowlsarefun]

This is a great interview, lots of interesting topics covered. I'm getting a little tired, though, of journalists doing these undercover-in-low-wage-jobs projects. I've worked in food service and retail for 14 years and I'm also a novelist and freelance writer. About a month ago I started a blog about low-wage work because there's nobody from these worlds writing about them. Our worlds are infiltrated by middle-class journalists all the time so they can report back to their cushy cohorts, and to what effect? Nothing ever changes. It just becomes a moment of "oh, how horrible" in peoples' drawing rooms and then they go right back to ordering things off Amazon and yelling at the teenager who made a mistake on their order at McDonald's. In my writing, I'm aiming to try to lift low-wage workers up to the point where they can take their jobs for all they're worth, squeeze as much as they can out of them (meaning, opportunity, money, etc), and then hopefully leave them. I think the biggest impact we can have is to empower individuals. It's harder to do than the sensationalistic stuff, but I think it's the best way to help those workers in both the short and long term.

[@peterc3262]

Spot on. Well said. I struggle to imagine how someone can be empowered while peeing in a bottle, though.

[@theowlsarefun]

Peter C yeah, certain institutional changes have to happen. I can’t believe Amazon is still this bad.

[@person.X.]

I agree with you to an extent in that a lot of this writing is poverty porn or like horror films. The buzz comes from hearing about terrrible things but being able to turn away to your comfortable existence and feel better about your own life. I disagree to an extent about your point about empowerment. The only way these things will be changed is through collective action. Go back in history and see what unions achieved. These battles have all been fought before and won. Neoliberals, globalists and Thatcherites have consciously launched a reactionary project to screw all of us who have to work for a living.

[@dantebbe]

If I may bounce an idea off you: is there a place for these jobs in a healthy society as entry-level positions? Young people start out un positions like this, but progress to better, more sophisticated jobs and responsibilities, with the correspondingly better pay. What do you think?

[@theowlsarefun]

Daniel Tebbe of course. There’s a place for those jobs in general, not just as entry-level jobs. I don’t necessarily even think those jobs should be paid a whole lot better than they are. My writing can be found at Medium.com/at-the-minimum if anyone is interested.

[@Buddfox]

This gig economy treatment is horrendous! Needs regulations to be enforced

[@ega9499]

Halfway through this interview and it’s one of your best ever. Great guy, the kind of leftwing guy that reminds me of the things I liked about the left. I’ve now bought the book, sadly from Amazon because I have a kindle and only read e-books now. On that note fantastic line of questioning from Konstantin about what can we do when we can’t avoid being part of this exploitative system. I feel like Konstantin read my mind with all the questions he asked. It’s s big task to change the system but slavery ended and Victorian ages factory conditions improved, so this impossible dream can be achieved too. I keep making comments because I’m so impressed. Sitting back now to watch the rest of this excellent interview.

[@rdf5356]

I'm really impressed with James' moral compass. On the left but very happy to point out the flaws on his own side. Great podcast!

[@djdarksidejungle559]

having compassion and empathy with people doing them jobs isnt just a left idieology you know its called compassion if right wing just means been a bit of a heartless cold unempathic compassionless brute then im defiinetely left wing

[@dubiouscaesar3709]

Old school left wing,modern left wingers won't have a bad word said about Amazon.

[@AG-tj8ew]

Fascinating discussion. Some very pertinent points about what the Labour movement has become. Shameful dereliction of their core purpose. Toxic Ideology is now the main motivator for people who seem to have way too much time on their hands. People need to be valued - for their work/contributions, as individuals. Education has moved too far away from giving individuals a rounded preparation for life in favour of ticking boxes and testing. I agree with the very interesting points James makes about religion. Many proud atheists have simply replaced one religion for another, one that has little positive contribution to make to creating a cohesive society.

[@knickertwistcopperby6066]

@A G Nicely put.

[@peterc3262]

So glad this guy has written this. This is my answer to your final question every week. The state of the working class employment options in the UK. I struggled and held a job for a call centre for a prominent bank and it IS awful, soul and character destroying. I was routinely penalised for signing onto my phone seconds (once was three seconds) after my shift started. Every single time this happened I was at my desk. More than once I was actually talking to the person who would later reprimand me later for not stopping talking to them. Sickness treated the same way. People vomiting in bins beside their desks. Spreading germs to everyone else who will be forced to do the same the next week. Toilet breaks monitored to the second. I had a friend who was asked not to eat curry on the weekend because he had three toilet breaks on a Monday. Seriously. I watched the girl across from me sweat and turn green because she had irritable bowel and was afraid to take the toilet break. It's the consequence of being managed by machines. Managers need those green lines on their spreadsheet to prove efficiency. Nothing else matters. They are held to the same BS.

[@daveevans2696]

The curry and the 3 toilet breaks got me. 🍛🍛🐂💨🐂💨🚽🚽

[@peterc3262]

@@daveevans2696 haha I know. He seemed to think it was worth it.

[@danersson]

Who the hell goes to Blackpool and thinks “think I’ll move here”

[@kastrocertifiedlibaax9078]

Ffs😂😂😂😂

[@negativeanthony]

19:20 "You'd make a friend, and then a few days later, they'd just vanish." Sounds like life, especially relationships. The world is just one big fulfillment center.

[@morningdawns]

Gotta disagree with your point at 41:40 Konstantin, immigration kicked off in large numbers before Amazon was the giant it is now and if there were a reduction in migration, wouldn't that improve conditions? If you can't get anyone from UK to work in the current conditions, the job surely either improves, or stops. Anyway, great guest - enjoyable as always

[@LusciousTwinkle]

Im afraid thats true. They get bad when they are allowed to ... The old way of immigration was better.

[@deltawhiskey6732]

My mom and Brother worked at a amazon Distro center in the farmlands in the US, and the conditions are almost exactly the same. Small number of breaks, large warehouse where it's a 15 min walk to get to the bathroom and they look for reasons to fire people. Probably the big difference is the pay abuses, in our farm town, Amazon is still a good (or good enough) job to get because the pay is acceptable and the work is steady (you can always get your 40+ hours).

[@deathmaybeyoursantaclaus]

Controls on immigration benefit the employer. Put it this way, as an immigrant are you more or less likely to kick up a fuss/against unfair employment practices if the threat of being deported hangs over you?

[@deathmaybeyoursantaclaus]

@DispelTheMyth - different status, but still precarious.

[@hannahmay2445]

My husband experienced a similar sick day disciplinary policy at Royal Mail. This was on a 30hour contract in a workplace that has a much bigger emphasis on workers rights...

[@ega9499]

His idea about putting the minimum wage on payslips is a wonderfully simple yet effective idea 💡

[@jimbrown4456]

Yeah we can see how little we're paid.

[@skadiwarrior2053]

Sounds like the Gulag Archipelago

[@daveevans2696]

How the hell do they get away with it, where are the unions??

[@person.X.]

I am a union member and they are useless. Much more sexy funding and supporting identity politics at the level of national party politics than doing the nitty gritty of looking after members interest and funding legal representation.

[@highonhill1031]

I read this as the "Elvis of the Gig Economy. Disappointed!

[@DanHowardMtl]

I like this guy. I can tell he read The Road to Wigan Pier.

[@williammarshalknight1846]

Dan Howard fuck off . You middle class twat

[@williammarshalknight1846]

Dan Howard you should read it then you would no he’s a tea total creeping Jesus

[@PotterSpurn1]

One of my favourite books. Down and Out in Paris......another.

[@rosafalls8068]

Fab interview, brings up some good questions, issues, and problems to think about. It's not the Gig Economy, but the Transient-Disposable Person Economy. No loyalty or trust between anyone. And if an employer treats employees as if they're all disposable; stealing product, time, and money what does that say about the lens they're looking through? It's projection onto the employees of a truth....someone is dishonest and is stealing from someone. Don't question who, because we're all complicit.

[@peterc3262]

@@Khayyam-vg9fw There was a trade union in my last low skilled job. They were held to the same rules as everyone else and afraid to rock the boat because they would be fired too. They endured the same degrading work practices because it's just how this type of work is now. Useless and pointless.

[@rosafalls8068]

@@Khayyam-vg9fw Agreed. I see this problem at my work place. Again, to repeat what you said, this is important and how I see it too: "You need stability, attachment to place, cultural cohesion and a sense of mutual obligation to generate the social capital in which trade union involvement will emerge, let alone prosper."

[@RemusKingOfRome]

Great interview. Was debating whether to watch but glad i did. Yes, we ALL know about Amazon Slave Labor Camps. Politicians allow this, thus we need to get rid of Politicians and vote for People Power - online voting on policies by the people.

[@benkippax224]

This is the best Triggernometry episode to date.

[@byhisstripes2713]

This video gave me the final push. I've cancelled Amazon prime... I spent £500 on amazon in 4 months--crazy. I got the book yesterday from Waterstones, although amazon was £3.50 cheaper. I'm half way through the book already. Huge eye opener.

[@georgemonster2025]

There are ways to support Trade Unions, like vote for parties that support them and JOIN ONE!

[@marionreynolds7080]

James spoke well towards the end. To quote Theodore Dalrymple ‘it’s far more important for people to lose themselves than to find themselves’. Marion

[@bulltraderpt]

Listening to this today in 2022, it's frightening.

[@skadiwarrior2053]

Good conversation, thanks.

[@jimbrown4456]

In 2021 in Scotland there are many employers like this

[@elkabongg2716]

This is precisely why we need the traditional political left. In an unregulated system money and power accumulate in the hands of a few and the most ruthless with the least moral restraint will be the most successful. Unfortunately the wealthy establishment has successfully diverted left wing energies into identity politics, so working rights and conditions has been ignored by the working and middle classes. The narrative of the oppression of women and minorities, which James himself seems to accept as a given, is part of the narcissism of small differences. The “pay gap” for example a significant part of female oppression narrative is a matter of less than 10% if it exists at all, when you consider the difference between those at the top and bottom of the Amazon hierarchy is upwards of 1000%.

[@AnniesEggs]

The raft of trade union legislation since the 1980s has had the desired affect of ensuring that employees have no countervailing power to that of their employer. Since then the Labour Party has been too scared to roll this back in case it is branded anti-British and untrustworthy (instead it gets called this for other policies). And yet worker organisation together with enforcement of the minimum wages would push back more effectively than any other piece of legislation that you could think of. I would add that merely not having horrific work practices does not mean that you are not being exploited. Interesting that the question in the second half of the interview is about why has socialism come back. The first half of the interview may give you a clue.

[@crispy9175]

Great interview. I'm definitely more in favor of unionizing than I was before. I'd love to see an interview with someone that's looked into the US union laws.

[@StaunchIndustries]

Excellent!

[@mirandabrunskill7755]

George Orwell's fictional novels are now a reality. An horrific dystopia. Exploitation = *double-speak* a 'fulfillment centre'

[@tomd3448]

Found this one very interesting, thanks guys. I've bought his book (in person, from a bookshop!) and will read it this week.

[@MavenPolitic]

Its "Hy-per-bol-e", not "hyper-bowl", I'm 5 minutes in and language is this guy's strongest subject ;-)

[@carlbyronrodgers]

Dignity should have no political colour.

[@DavidKirwanirl]

Some of the descriptions of working in the Amazon warehouse, reminds me of previous employments ;)

[@grenvillephillips6998]

A better title for his book: Sisyphus in the Retail Panopticon!

[@hugodullcet4419]

Grenville Phillips love the suggestion! How about: Hephaestian bondage - work in the 21st century

[@grenvillephillips6998]

@@hugodullcet4419 Very good and also ideal for a book about Greece being trapped in perpetual austerity by the EU.

[@garymarls]

The reason why we have a Gig Economy is because there are too many worker rights (sick pay, maternity pay, bereavement pay, minimum wage, etc). It’s a nightmare running a business these days if you have to employ low skilled workers - most businesses in the UK are small to medium size; they’re not all Amazon. Employing people is the biggest stress for business owners, as you don’t know how productive they’ll be

[@steved2008]

He’s a writer and he said “Hyper-Bowl” 😂

[@AnnabellaRedwood]

I noticed that like a million times. 😀

[@alphalobster8021]

If we were not populated with people who have no opportunities in their own countries, would people actually work for a firm who monitors your toilet time? I don't think so. Unions are not, in anyway, by any means, an answer. Remember, zero-hour contracts were invented by the Scandinavians keen to avoid their rediculously onerus employment laws.

[@gg_rider]

I'm not saying forming labor unions, which are or become insular, are that useful. But few people say that "associations" of business people or "associations" certain fields of experts, aren't legit. An "association" *is* a union. It's not a LABOR union. Likewise, a "corporation" is a union of capitalist players, will special legal rights and protections for individuals, supplied by Govt and judicial rulings.

[@alphalobster8021]

@@gg_rider Yes. I see that. A bunch of people united by a common purpose forming relationships to get shit done. But, you seem to be saying that formal unionisation is not what you are talking about whilst identifing formal groups in other areas of the economics system. What has to be recognised, is that a bunch of capitalists forming a corporation are not a bunch of capitalists looking to cooprate with each other through circumstance. There very existence denotes a measure of risk has been assumed. The capitalists are people with skin in the game...the investors. The investors and thus the corporation would not exist without such protections. The tipping point for the success of capitalism was the reformation of bankrupcy law and the ability to share risk (ordinary shares). Unions serve only one purpose, to extract more gain for less value. What we need in this country, is a system where value means something. Where businesses are not built on the back of waves of cheap unskilled dirt poor people from beyond our borders to export cheap shit, for whome the only benefit is the capitalist. The EU game is totally rigged. We need closed borders and protectionist policies that drive an inernal national market that would make the practices of Amazon untennable in this country.

[@gg_rider]

@@alphalobster8021 well, that too. *Adam Smith, the Father Capitalism, wrote that businessmen would meet together to conspire* , how to screw consumers .. he didn't mention conspiring to screw workers. *Smith advocated for "combinations" of capital and he also advocated for "combinations" of labor* . The reasons should not need explanation. People used to have unholy working conditions in America, long before unions or politics. Courts ruled that a boss had a right to physically beat adult employees. Child labor, you know that story. Workers organizing any solidarity whatsoever was viewed like some criminal gang shit. For that matter, citizens or voters (lower class, farmers, labor, ordinary types) organizing for political or other purposes was almost criminal. Unless it was a church group or something like that. It's a very libertarian view that people have to stand up and fight for what they want and need, and that includes standing together. If that includes forming a *patriot militia group* -- not just individual lone wolf -- not aiming to assassinate anyone -- hopefully not racist -- why wouldn't the same apply to a union of people aiming for better pay and working conditions? Don't both sets of people enjoy such *rights* ? I didn't know until years later, I had assumed that the Air Traffic Controllers Union that Reagan fired and replaced were striking for the expected reasons, but they were striking over very long hours with no breaks, short staff, harrowing work conditions for staring at screens for hours, paying close attention to so many details at once, that they were *stressed from fear of making a mistake that could kill hundreds of innocent airline passengers* . If a waitress does that, the worst that can happen is you get the wrong soup. Govt was essentially ordering sir traffic control experts to work in an impaired state, where they might fail to control aircraft traffic, while OTR truck drivers are forbidden from driving excessive hours without a mandatory rest period.

[@alphalobster8021]

@@gg_rider Okay. I get all that. But look at the situation in the US, where you have to join the union to have the job. That is communism. And this is the problem. Now look at the unions in the UK. They are pro EU...how does that make any sense? FWIW, I am a pilot and have refused to join my airline's union, because they inadvertantly make working conditions worse. Whilst I have worked in non-unionised airlines in places like the Middle East, not exactly famous for its workers rights, with few issues (not saying better, just few issues). Clearly, unions should be permitted, but they don't work in our mature, stable, well developed economies. And they should not be needed if the correct nationalist policies and prioritisation for the citizenry were put in place. Fine let people form unions, but there must not even be the slightest hint of pressure to join nor any requirement to ever do so. BTW, Smith said a lot of stuff and changed his mind over the course of his life. Likewise Marx made a lot of sensible points even if his ideology was crackpot.

[@gg_rider]

@@alphalobster8021 on the other hand (previous comment) labor or labour unions made more sense when there was a huge need for workers, both skilled and de-skilled positions. Several comments are about self-serve and robots. Radiologists and radiographers are being replaced by robots that can read x-rays. Truck drivers. Amazon delivery and fulfillment centers. Robot-run anesthesia .. no more need for that six figure career that keeps people unconscious near the range of death, then brings them gently back to life. It's looking like a slow rolling massive elimination of many forms of skilled work, replaced by the fancy equivalent of vending machines. Does that mean prices will collapse too? Doubt that. In a market economy, prices can in some cases stay steady as quality improves, or some prices can fall relative to overall Inflation. But overall price declines, especially rapid change, makes existing long-term and even short-term business debt and household debt unpayable. This hints at a future of bank collapses and govt bailouts, unless banks see the trends and start cutting back sharply on business loans and consumer loans. Well, THAT is practically the definition of Depression and mass bankruptcy. Over a century ago, I don't know if he was laughing, but Marx made much of the fact that improvements in technology and Production, rather than being celebrated, were blamed by vip business of that rising Industrial Era as causing a "crisis in capitalism". This crisis required and justified Big Govt intervention in Markets (and military) to protect capitalists from competition and failure ... but they continued the double-talk of calling it "free markets". Guest talks about near monopoly business. *Communism is total monopoly production* .

[@rossgardner9412]

I wouldn’t worry James. In a few years there’ll be no such thing as an Uber driver as there’ll be driverless cars and I’m willing to put money on Amazon introducing an “automated fulfilment centre” in the relatively near future as well.

[@Talshere88]

Talk about things we aren't talking about we should be... The automated car revolution/apocalypse is something we absolutely are not prepared for. Millions will be made unemployed in just a few years.

[@person.X.]

There won't be if there aren't people earning the money to pay for those services. Robots don't earn or spend money - they are not customers. I doubt it is much fun trying to make money in business with no customers.

[@dubiouscaesar3709]

We'll tear it all down. Suits will hang, mansions will burn.

[@wrongthink3885]

These industries are not created by chance, they are a direct result of lots and lots of unskilled workers competing for unskilled labour. Funny how remoaners bang on about the potential job losses as a result of leaving the EU, but never consider the problems of open borders and a saturation of unskilled workers who, ironically, earn considerably more than they would back home! No such chance of a Brit doing the same in most European countries.

[@maltesephil]

Ironically the book is for sale on Amazon, with free prime delivery

[@theowlsarefun]

Wow smart guy, you're the only one to ever bring up that point. They literally address that in the video.

[@LusciousTwinkle]

This was really good. A very brave author who is worthy of his heroes...One little niggle...He STILL had to do a "poor poor dears...They didnt know what they were voting for....It was because they were unemployed/of Thatcher/because they are working class halfwits"

[@peterc3262]

Agree. Let's study the insects from our tower.

[@djdarksidejungle559]

well amazon it doesnt surprise me should ask him what he thinks about that entire thing post pandemic and post brexit

[@gailspencer4451]

Where else but on this platform/podcast, would you find someone interviewed who had worked in the real world.....I am new to Trig, but going back through time and ideological space and finding subject matters covered. Love it. The B2B gig economy on Fiverr is noteworthy.....perceptions of the West by Indian/Pakistani designers is an education in itself as is the platform and how double edged it is for the small business here. Noteworthy is the fact that it is the biggest advertiser by far whilst watching KZbin. During Covid, Amazon has been advertising prolifically for warehouse staff and I was expected to submit a blood test for an alcohol test - without warning on the day of recruitment, only to be told that the shift that I had applied for was over subscribed.

[@rakheshpm]

Who packs the Hello Fresh boxes in the Hello Fresh warehouse, eh? How much do they get paid? EH?

[@triggerpod]

Hard-working Sri Lankan comedians!

[@ega9499]

Hmm they’re probably not paid much, but still probably more than Francis and Konstantin who are providing this channel for free and are trying to survive despite demobilisation issues. So everyone is a cog in this exploitative system, having to play by the rules while being exploited themselves.

[@rakheshpm]

@@ega9499 It's a joke mate

[@ega9499]

Rakhesh Martyn Fair enough buddy, just many people make snide comments to the Trigg guys about this. But hey if you hadn’t made this comment I wouldn’t have watched your channel and you are hilarious mate! You deserve more views. Oh and you are way better looking than Twitter would have us believe. 😊So now that I like you we can put down the handbags at dawn! ☺️

[@rakheshpm]

@@ega9499 Haha thanks man, there was never a handbag on my side. Keep supporting the Triggernometry boys, they're doing excellent work!

[@sanguinefan1734]

A superb interview, although it has left me shaken. It strikes me that we are being enslaved by our desire for convenience and the lowest prices. That is why we have this abhorrent system, whether it's below minimum wage slaves in the UK or child workers in the far east. Particularly towards the end of the interview, James Bloodworth expresses his carefully-considered brand of socialism in a way that must resonate with any thinking viewer.

[@georgesdelatour]

Union power comes from its ability to control the supply of labour.

[@ega9499]

This occurred to me that we are getting your wonderful content for free, so essentially you are “gig” workers too, therefore I must remember to donate to you guys. Will do so shortly!

[@Nagisasan36]

I really enjoyed listening to this guy. His point on the despair of modern manhood is spot on I feel. A generation of strong young men with nothing to lose - this is the real ticking time bomb in our midst. I will make one point. I worked on a Littlewoods 'fulfillment centre' twenty years ago, and it was just as awful as James describes. So Amazon may be refined this culture, but they didn't invent it. Great podcast, thanks!

[@sjewitt22]

I'm not defending that nuke quote, but America dropped 2 nukes and their answer being they did it to save lives.

[@davidbrinnen]

Well done lads on getting the sponsor. And injecting a bit of comedy into the ad. Quick question does Hello Fresh cater for vegi's like me? And who wouldn't want abs like Francis?

[@triggerpod]

Yes, they do offer a veggie box!

[@williammarshalknight1846]

All companies behave like this if your a manual worker standard

[@oraz.]

Marx actually described this hypercapitalist exploitative nightmare pretty well. Thanks Reagan, Thatcher, Clinton and Blair.

[@TheNightBadger]

00:21:00 While I agree with his basic point, it's not true that The Empire benefited British consumers and people in other areas suffered. The rich benefited (and a growing middle-class). The first people oppressed by the ruling classes were their own people. Factory workers in the UK had horrible lives, The Poorhouse, Transportation, Debtors Prison, etc - life until the early 20th Century was not nice for millions of British people. The average life expectancy for working class male in London in the late Victorian era was 21. 'The Empire' may have generated money, but mostly it made a tiny minority super-rich, made the ruling classes even wealthier, and it was fueled by the engine of poverty and oppression that had existed in Britain for centuries - it just expanded to include other places (who - for the most part - had also lived the same kind of elitist systems, albeit different to European ones).

[@TomDulson]

Only a few mins in but it's important to remember that 0 hour contracts are sometimes good for the employee. Students need flexibility as mentioned but also the contracts are particularly useful to people who are trying to become self employed.

[@ega9499]

For those making comments about the Triggernometry guys sponsors being part of these systems. Instead if someone has a practical solution to how Francis & Konstantin can survive & make this channel without being part of the system, then please make it. Konstantin actually asked the author if he had any ideas how we could all stop being part of the exploitation, but even the author admitted that he too had no choice but to sell his book on Amazon. We are all cogs in an exploitative system that we have no choice but to live by if we too want to survive. Also any of us watching this and other channels for free are part of the problem too, but some people can’t afford to pay. So the cycle goes on. No point in turning on each other, need to work on changing the system instead (but yes for those of us who can afford to pay let’s do it)

[@WorthlessWinner]

I don't doubt what he's saying, but it's hard to believe this is going on in the same England I work in, the experience he describes is so alien to my own. To think that just down the road people might be working in these labor camp conditions is scary =/

[@secondchance4498]

Two issues :p Firstly...was the woman paid 62p per hour, or was is that payroll were s**t and once her mum was on their case she got her pay backdated, ie was paid minimum wage? If so, why play....can you not simply talk of how some agencies are letting people down? Secondly.....Gig economy, Amazon, etc....this thing goes on in big business, small business, everything in between and has done so for at least 20 years from my personal experience as a once young lad (not a defence). And if I could ask a cheeky third question, was it not the case that when McDonald's asked their staff if they would like zero or full contracts, the majority of the staff said zero? Thanks once again guys Chris.

[@Talshere88]

Maybe we need a new category of worker? One that isn't employed or self employed and has regs and rights more tailored to it. Focused around agencies and the like.

[@alexander1112000]

41:40 It's funny Konstantin says that. See, here in the US the Left's argument for increased immigration is, essentially, "we've got all these terrible jobs with terrible conditions and you Americans don't want to do them so we need to bring in foreigners to do them because they still need to be done." Which is funny to me because at no point does the Left talk about trying to improve working conditions and/or pay compensation, which once upon a time was the central idea for the Left in America. They are the ones that pushed for improved conditions in the factories and higher standards for things like meat processing in the past. But now, the Left wants every American to have a college degree and a white collar job and just import labor to do the dirty jobs, like picking produce or really anything dirty, and they demean the people who might be willing to do that kind of work as stupid. As if no American should ever lower themselves to the point that they have to do dirty work, that it should be left to the foreigners. They care about raising the minimum wage for certain jobs, but when you start pointing to jobs that don't require a college degree and do require manual labor, they suddenly think such things are below them. It's really strange. tl;dr: the American Left argues we need more immigrants to take the terrible jobs and not that working conditions need to improve to make the jobs not terrible.

[@carlbyronrodgers]

We are not talking about garden sheds.

[@markkavanagh7377]

The world is your garden shed, sir.

[@mirandabrunskill7755]

Other online booksellers are available!

[@tdannyboy]

Just bought the book. (From audible - sorry!)

[@williammarshalknight1846]

Not everyone can work at the guardian

[@WorthlessWinner]

1:09:00 there are some incredibly toxic things in the MRA, but there are also some good things in it. We shouldn't let the bad stuff stop us getting the good stuff out. If there is a solution to the crisis of masculinity, i see it coming from that area.

[@dangerponim7352]

I grew up a few miles from Rugely

[@Lordradost]

Despite automation and Gig Economy, growing foreign economies... Our dear leaders still insist on third world immigration of peoples who barely have a high-school education and vast cultural differences concerning work ethics. What about our poor, elderly, sick and homeless? And those that are about to become one of those?

[@JasperWaale]

I use to drive a Taxi, not only did take 4-5 week to take the lic and pass the extra test and know about first aid, locations of things, I never in my life use a Uber, drivers losing money ones you count it all up use of car ect. and cant deduct the cost running of car ect.. , are not vetted ... no thanks

[@LusciousTwinkle]

Great! A left winger! Im a left winger and a fan. Im also a fan of Tommy Robinson. I think you need to have him on. The hatchet job that has been done on this man is the worst injustice this century.

[@nowitsclear]

C'est parti 🥳

[@misterdaz1018]

Andy Ngo next week, I am looking forward to that.

[@rsync9490]

So the monopolistic labor union cab drivers are expensive, but offer a decent living. While Uber and Lyft are inexpensive, yet people are struggling to make ends meet. Almost like labor unions are good depending on what you want out of it. It seems like if you want cheap prices, might as well move to Qatar where there are millions of guest workers whom are paid very poorly, or buy quality expensive products in a western country where your fellow man can make a decent living. Pick one or the other.

[@DavidKirwanirl]

If you want to know where we'll all end up? Its every job is a 0 hour contract and you live in a corrugated iron shack.

[@sephus99]

We are getting a benefit from Amazon and that's that we can buy things cheaper than we would otherwise. I suspect it also sells stuff we'd struggle to find elsewhere. Whether or not that's worth the cost is a reasonable question to pose but it's not all downside. Also there is some crap given to Amazon about the tax they pay. My understanding of that has always been that Amazon run very low profit levels with only aws and their core US operation running at a profit and cross-funding everything else. As companies pay tax on profits we aren't missing out on much due to that dumb EU freedom.

[@Chris-oz9qx]

sephus99 as long as you’re alright Jack huh?

[@sephus99]

@@Chris-oz9qx That's not what I've said - I've explicitly said we should look at whether it's worth the downside. The kind of black and white thinking you're asking me to engage in, by only wanting to see Amazon as an ill, is at the root of the current issues with public discourse.

[@Chris-oz9qx]

sephus99 see the question mark at the end of my sentence, that means I was asking you a question, not making a statement.

[@johnfoster1580]

Late stage capitalism is interesting.

[@thedude7319]

I AM SO HAPPY I NEVER BOUGHT FROM AMAZON

[@DieFlabbergast]

Good for you, but many people have no choice. What are people who live in rural areas, or people who live abroad in non-English-speaking countries, expected to do? What we need is four or five smaller "Amazons" so there will be competition -- you know? like they have in most markets? Whether its Google or Facebook or Twitter or Amazon or whatever, the real enemy is monopolization.

[@thedude7319]

@@DieFlabbergast Same as 10 years before

[@spector969]

Obviously I've heard about the bad conditions at Amazon before, but actually hearing someone's first-hand account like this really makes me recoil in disgust, I did some low-skilled work as a younger man, worked in warehouses, etc, and some jobs were worse than others, but I never had to deal with anything like the stuff James is describing here. I genuinely don't feel I can, in good conscience, shop from Amazon any more, but the the high street is dying more and more every day, so it's difficult...

[@RSCa3218]

What is 62p an hour? Google gave me the run around.

[@peteredwards338]

Less than one Dollar?

[@todddaniels1812]

62 pence per hour I believe.

[@RSCa3218]

@@peteredwards338 I don't know.

[@RSCa3218]

@@todddaniels1812 yeah how much does that equate to in euro's or dollars or what is a P? A pound?

[@Vic-en2ok]

svjsfgh a p is a penny so this woman was earning £0.62 an hour which equates to €0.69 or $0.75

[@kelvincasing5265]

Ayn Rand wouldn’t endorse this... you don’t understand objectivism. IMO though, the Right should push hard on stoppingn this.

[@Dadecorban]

I'm curious what about using legal loopholes and maximizing efficiency to the detriment of worker experience and pay would Ayn Rand not support (or have a neutral opinion of) given that the employment is a voluntary arrangement, and the businesses are not free competition (cartels)?

[@OriginalKarasu]

it is a sin that this video has so few views...

[@DavidKirwanirl]

Trucking, HR, legal, business.. you're looking at about 30% of men and women's jobs automated in the next 10-20 years. Its fucking scary.

[@davidbrinnen]

Thoughts on the final question... Risky business allowing science to supplant religion, science has no inherent morality, survival of the fittest, well... why shouldn't the strong dominate the weak? In the end, from a purely Darwinist perspective, I think religion will have a resurgence going forwards, because science cannot provide satisfactory answers the questions that ultimately give life meaning.

[@davidbrinnen]

@Anita McGuire Interesting. And what is your country if you don't mind my asking?

[@WorthlessWinner]

55:00 Politics is difficult because it deals with life or death issues. If any one side is right, then the other side is "responsible for a large number of deaths." However we can't treat half the population like they're murderers either, and it's always possible that we're wrong so responsible for a lot of deaths (usually in politics, all sides will kill a lot of people and the only question is who gets to die). We have to reconcile these two things, that the other side (if we're right) are killing people, but they're also just normal people who think they're doing the right thing. This is hard to do effectively without minimizing the importance of the decisions made in politics. If there's a solution i think it'll come from separating how good or bad an idea is, from how good or bad the people who hold that idea are. the old "hate the sin not the sinner" idea. That or from recognizing that we're all uncertain about this incredibly complex topic of politics and likely all hold some views that'd lead to thousands of innocent people dying that we're unaware are bad views.

[@ega9499]

Barbarian Brain wonderful comment! Just one thing though, I think you meant “hate the sin, not the sinner”

[@Mrlimabean01]

Thanks guys- longtime leftist viewer who's been waiting for an actual leftist to come on and talk about economics and markets like is supposed to be our specialty. I'm thinking of maybe coming out and having a few chats with you lads myself after I get my economics degree later this year to absolutely destroy francis' dumb cucky views about capitalism and economics

[@maltesephil]

You have at least one viewer in #Malta Me

[@davidbrinnen]

1:38 Yeah, right! When are we getting our "he who shall not be named" interview? And what about Alex Jones? Even your mate Mark (Dankula) has nailed that interview. Isn't it time you guys became better informed on the topic of inter-dimensional daemons?

[@Nick051967]

I live in Malaysia, is it me?🧐

[@ega9499]

Nick Garrity oh so you’re the reason that straight after this video KZbin recommended me this Malaysian comedian - as someone that Triggernometry viewers would watch: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6SvXp-pj7Ksh6s If so thanks, he was funny! ☺️

[@ega9499]

Thanks guys for doing this important interview about worker exploitation. Suggestion: put low wage in title as I initially thought gig meant music. (I don’t live in UK) now I realise what an important subject this is about I will buy this man’s book. In Australia too the same thing is going on, a lot of immigrant workers on visas forced to work 80hrs a week in restaurants for half the wage. As the owner cleverly forces them to do illegal things the workers are too scared to complain to the government agencies. Fortunately some agencies are giving the workers immunity, however if the employer is penalised the worker will lose their job and if they can’t find another one they will have to back to their country. So it’s s catch 22 if the employer is shut down the worker will lose their job and possibly their visa. If they do find another job they will be treated the same way anyway. To be fair to the employers not all are bad but some are forced also to exploit workers because they can’t compete otherwise. But many are just greedy. I knew a worker on a visa who was going through all this and despite trying I could do nothing to help them. However the one piece of advice I gave them that helped was to join a union. Actually the first person they dealt with at the Union was very unhelpful, which made me wonder if my advice was good. but then someone else at the union contacted them who helped them a lot (who I think was embarrassed by their co-worker) and managed to get some money back. People on visas in Australia don’t realise they are eligible to join trade unions and also the employer need never know. Furthermore what they say to the union is confidential so the government won’t know either. (As many workers are worried to tell anyone about the bad conditions they work under in case their employer gets shut down, this would result in them losing their job and having to return to their country). Many also don’t realise their union payments will come directly from their bank account (so employer doesn’t know) and that they are tax deductible. Not sure what the situation is in Britain, but in Australia I would say join a union. They aren’t always perfect but they are your best chance. BTW I am conflicted because I think the high immigration is driving this. Workers on visas grabbing jobs or undercutting locals, on the other hand they are victims of the system too. I would say this, even if you are anti immigration we must do something to help all workers exploited in this way. In fact if immigrants can’t be exploited then bosses will not preference them over locals for jobs, in the end this helps the people indigenous to Britain. Because the only reason employers want immigrants is because it’s cheap for them. So fix workers conditions to be fairer and enforce these conditions (this is the important bit) and the flow on effects will be less immigration. (Made this comment before finishing the video then realised Konstantin addresses this)

[@Treguard]

Hyper Bowl

[@LusciousTwinkle]

BTW its pronounced "Hy-per-boll-ee"...not hyperbowl.

[@DieFlabbergast]

Yeah: the Hyper Bowl sounds like the Super Bowl with added music shows.

[@risdon34]

ikr, literally killing me!

[@dalorasinum386]

Aggghhh leftist! Get him away!

[@becauseicount3483]

Ive said it before get Andrew Yang on

[@Papa1Smurf1]

Christ 😂 as soon as he mentioned Orwell I KNEW it was going to be a ‘delusions of grandeur’ interview. Is your book as good as Road to Wigan Pier? Me thinks not, good sir.

[@BAMovin]

Interesting in the beginning then halfway became about ideologies/opinions & became dull. The gig economy is the new slave economy in America and people have been brainwashed with the branding. Look at how cool l am with my app, my own hours, and basically running yourself to the ground.

[@garymarls]

This guy thinks the world owes him a living. What about employer rights! Try running your own business and you’ll see how hard it is. Mass migration of low skilled workers drives down wages - demand and supply. Businesses in the EU / UK have to pay VAT, corporation tax, plus pensions, etc.