In the article "The Allocation of the Means of Production and the Market Economy under the Labor Rights System", I talked about the fact that there is no loss problem in enterprises that have realized distribution according to work, and that the problem of enterprises being responsible for their own profits and losses will naturally disappear due to the realization of distribution according to work. In this regard, Mr. Chen Yanhu put forward different opinions:
"The problem of self-financing of profits and losses will naturally disappear due to the realization of distribution according to work (there is no loss problem in enterprises that truly realize distribution according to work)", Mr. Zhong's argument lacks argument support. In the commodity economy society, labor enterprises must turn products into commodities in order to finally reflect the value of the fruits of labor, and the value of the fruits of labor should be reflected in money rather than in goods or services, and the value of consumption should be reflected in money. If the product cannot be turned into a commodity, the enterprise will lose money. Products become commodities, and businesses can make or lose money. For example, if a labor rights enterprise that produces mobile phones cannot be sold, there will be no net cash inflow, and the consumer value formed must be negative, then the enterprise must lose money. In this case, what do the workers of this enterprise spend on? Is it a mountain of mobile phones that are distributed to the workers of their own company? Therefore, there is no problem of loss in enterprises that truly realize distribution according to work, and this assertion is arbitrary and does not conform to reality. ”
In addition, I also said in the commentary: "I personally think that under the market economy system, it is possible that the loss cannot be made up to this part." Under the market economic system, it is healthy competition, and it is also possible for enterprises to lose money; if the cost of raw materials is deducted, the product income is less than the sum of depreciation and the minimum consumption level of the laborers, is it necessary to maintain the depreciation or the minimum consumption level at this time? If the difference between the income is less than the depreciation and the minimum consumption level of the laborers, then neither the minimum consumption level of the laborers nor the depreciation can be guaranteed, so even if the laborers do not take any distribution, the value of state-owned assets cannot be maintained. ”
Now to answer two friends on this question.
There is a theory of labor economics called the theory of economic entities: it is believed that the production entity of modern society is an economic entity formed by the combination of two labors, and this economic entity shows the nature and characteristics of an asset entity and a labor entity respectively due to the different relations between living labor and accumulated labor. Therefore, using the basic principles of these two economic entities as an analytical framework, we can interpret all the economic models of reality.
When we talk about asset entities, it refers to the economic entity with the asset as the main body and meets the asset owner's requirements for asset multiplication, and the system that is compatible with this entity is the basic system with the asset owner as the main body, fully embodying the ownership of the asset, and suitable for the existence and development of the enterprise as an asset entity, which we call the property rights system. Its movement is characterized by the fact that the value of labor is in a predetermined state, and the production and operation activities of enterprises are manifested as fluctuations in the amount of asset value and fluctuations in the amount of surplus value. In other words, the characteristics of the property enterprise that exists and develops as an independent asset entity show the change in the profit and loss of the value of the means of production, while the value of labor is given priority.
When we talk about labor entities, it refers to the economic entity with the laborer as the main body and meets the laborer's requirements for labor value, and the system that is compatible with this entity is the basic system with the laborer as the main body, fully embodies the ownership of labor, and is suitable for the existence and development of the enterprise as a labor entity, which we call the labor rights system. Its movement is characterized by the fact that the value of the means of production is in a predetermined state, and the production and operation activities of the enterprise are manifested in the fluctuation of the amount of labor value and the fluctuation of the amount of consumption value. In other words, the basic characteristics of the existence and development of labor-owned enterprises as independent labor entities are manifested in the fluctuation of the amount of consumption value and the fluctuation of the labor income of employees, while the value of the means of production is in a priority guarantee position.
Why should property-based enterprises give priority to ensuring the payment of workers' wages, and let the changes in the production and operation activities of enterprises be manifested in fluctuations in the value of means of production?
Because under the conditions of commoditization of labor, the labor power of the laborer is transferred to the enterprise according to the contract. Therefore, according to the agreement, after the workers provide labor, the enterprise should pay the agreed wages to the laborers, so as to complete the labor transaction process; first, more importantly, by fixing the value of labor in advance and supporting it in a timely manner, the income of the laborers can be excluded from the distribution of production results, so that the production process can reflect the interests of the capitalists or shareholders according to the distribution of capital, and the interests of more capital and more profits.
So why should labor-powered enterprises give priority to ensuring the value compensation of the means of production, so that the changes in the production and operation activities of the enterprises can be manifested in the fluctuation of labor income?
Because the nature of the ownership of the publicly owned means of production often surpasses the collective of the employees of the enterprise, the employees of the enterprise have the right to use the public assets, but they can only use these public assets on the premise of not harming the public assets; in addition, as a material means to meet the needs of the employees of the enterprise to obtain consumption value, the enterprise must also keep the value of the public assets of the enterprise at least unchanged, and even increase the amount of assets when necessary, so as to meet the needs of reproduction; on the other hand, the labor-owned enterprises should reflect the distribution of laborers according to their work, The interest requirement of more work and more reward must also be first distinguished and compensated for the transfer value of the means of production, so that the changes in the production and operation process of the enterprise can be manifested as the change in the amount of labor income, so as to reflect the employees' interest requirements for labor ownership.
However, everyone may say in unison: In the environment of a market economy, how can there be an enterprise that does not incur losses? Naturally, it is impossible for a labor-owned enterprise to guarantee that it will not incur a loss.
In labor-right enterprises, a model of distribution of production results that embodies labor ownership is adopted. The characteristics of this distribution model can be summed up by "compensating for consumption, paying enough to the state, leaving enough for the collective, and the rest is for yourself". From the point of view of this mode of distribution of the results of production, the first guarantee is the compensation part of the value of the means of production, the second is the deduction part of the satisfaction of public needs, and the income of the laborer finally appears as the result of production, in the form of a balance. That is to say, when the operation of a labor-owned enterprise encounters a risk, the first loss caused by it is directly borne by the laborer, that is, the amount of loss will reduce the amount of consumption value of the laborer. The loss of the assets of the labor-owned enterprise must occur only when the labor income of the worker is nothing, and the satisfaction of public needs is completely zero. Objectively, in order to deal with business risks, labor-owned enterprises will also reserve risk funds through public need deduction items, so once the operation causes the decline in the performance of the enterprise, the enterprise can use the reserved hedging funds to save the emergency and tide over the difficult period. Distribution according to work, because of its distribution model of production results, fundamentally determines that public assets are in a state of value preservation.
Of course, if a labor-owned enterprise has to lose money to the value of its assets, the labor-owned enterprise should start the closure sequence (the closure of the ownership enterprise is bankruptcy, and the closure of the labor-owned enterprise is closed). The assets of a public-owned enterprise based on public ownership, even if it is a village-run enterprise, belong to all the villagers, and there is no complete and independent asset owner within the enterprise, so the enterprise has no right to use the public assets to assume operational responsibility. Labor rights enterprises are operated by the workers of the enterprise with the fruits of collective labor.
The production team during the period of the People's Commune was a typical labor-owned enterprise. If the production team does a good job, the members will have more food and a relatively high annual income; on the contrary, if the production team does not do a good job, everyone may go hungry and even need to go out to beg for food.
The prerequisite for the existence and development of a property right enterprise is that the value of labor must be paid first (even if it is bankrupt, the wages of the workers must be paid first), and the prerequisite for the existence and development of a labor right enterprise is that the public assets must be in a state of value preservation!