Strategies of equalization, a neglected aspect of the split labour market theory: Jews and Arabs in the split labour market of mandatory Palestine

Abstract

It is argued that though strategies of equalization are rare, they are an integral element of the split labour market [SLM] dynamics both in the causes that bring higher-priced labour to adopt these strategies and in the factors that often impede their success. Following Bonacich, three types of equalization strategies are identified and studied in the case of mandatory Palestine: 1. Establishing minimum standards as discussed in the Wage Commissions of 1928 and 1943; 2. Inclusion of cheap labour in the labour organizations of the higher-priced labour (the Palestine Labor League [PLL] and the Railroad, Post & Telegraph Workers' Organization [RPTWO]; 3. Support of the liberation movement to which the group of cheap labour is affiliated (the Palestine Communist Party [PCP]). Finally, the SLM theory is discussed in the light of the historical case and a number of elaborations are suggested.