I've seen exploitation
In my young age, as a fresh graduate I had landed a job in related industry. Although not a top tier company and at the entry level as a trainee with no benefits only wages, it was a formal job. I went up the career ladder from there all the time, so I have been thinking of that entry level job as the worst experience for me. Time in, Time out punching, late marks, limited leaves, meagre trainee allowance and wild boss. When compared with other friends who were placed in big, famous companies providing continental breakfast and pampering benefits along with good salary, my job was a joke on my brilliant academic career. So I thought that was the worst and that worst was gone.
Until I saw the pathetic situation here in Australia faced by my son. Same background, good academic career, no blot on character. But no formal job in any industry. So he struggled for a casual job to keep going. That's OK, acceptable. But does it mean surrendering even minimum human dignity? No employment ethics? Taking him for a ride as free labour? Paying less than legal minimum wages? Expecting immediate availability without giving him any assurance of work? Inhuman workload? 12 working hours without prior notice? Now I feel my worst experience job was a hundred times better than his first one. Not just that, I am saying with awe, " Now I have seen the exploitation".
A few establishments where he approached, politely informed him of no job or tactically asked his contact number just in case. This was the best, humane experience of his casual job search. Now you can imagine what would be in other cases. In one place, he was asked to work just as a trial for 5 hours without any wage and if the manager found his work satisfactory he would call later. So he toiled for 5 hours in the evening and returned late night with a box of left over food in that place. That was a token of appreciation! Next two days, no message. So he called only to find out that they did not have a job for him. At another place, when he called he informed the owner that he already had past experience of working in similar work before. Still he was asked to work for a full day on trial without any wages and if found acceptable would get job. So, he toiled for a full day in hot summer and got a nod about his work. Then he was offered work only for 2 days. After that, the owner had excuses of low business and asked him to stay back and come only if called. He then tried in a grocery store and they told him their selection procedure: half an hour test, followed by 2 days of zero salary on job training and if found suitable they would accept him for a casual job. He went. He was given a half an hour test: to pack tomatoes in 1 kg bags after weighing them. He could pack 25 bags but was told the pass mark was 40 bags. 40 bags in 30 minutes - did they play some joke on him? Is this the way this country treats the casual job seekers? Are they living still in the 19th century of early industrialisation and labour exploitation?
Finally he went into yet another restaurant with a reference where he was asked for a paid trial of the job and was accepted. And what job - dish washing, kitchen cleaning. Working hours : 12 noon to 10:30 pm with half an hour break. It's manual dish washing, not with a machine. The working hour extends beyond 10:30 sometimes up to midnight. The wage: $11 per hour. The govt rule has fixed minimum wage rate as $18.93 an hour! But who cares? This is a developed country, not a third world poor rotten country. But the thousands on the margin have no voice, no protection. Are those talking about democracy and equality and human rights aware of this dark labour world beneath the structured formal economy? Then how is it that they shed tears for maltreatment of animals and rights of deadly convicts but utter not a single word about the economy down under?
Anyway, I am least interested in what armchair social reformers do and more concerned about my son. And the very fact that the human labour exploitation exists. And the pain of seeing this exploitation happen with my own son.
Until I saw the pathetic situation here in Australia faced by my son. Same background, good academic career, no blot on character. But no formal job in any industry. So he struggled for a casual job to keep going. That's OK, acceptable. But does it mean surrendering even minimum human dignity? No employment ethics? Taking him for a ride as free labour? Paying less than legal minimum wages? Expecting immediate availability without giving him any assurance of work? Inhuman workload? 12 working hours without prior notice? Now I feel my worst experience job was a hundred times better than his first one. Not just that, I am saying with awe, " Now I have seen the exploitation".
A few establishments where he approached, politely informed him of no job or tactically asked his contact number just in case. This was the best, humane experience of his casual job search. Now you can imagine what would be in other cases. In one place, he was asked to work just as a trial for 5 hours without any wage and if the manager found his work satisfactory he would call later. So he toiled for 5 hours in the evening and returned late night with a box of left over food in that place. That was a token of appreciation! Next two days, no message. So he called only to find out that they did not have a job for him. At another place, when he called he informed the owner that he already had past experience of working in similar work before. Still he was asked to work for a full day on trial without any wages and if found acceptable would get job. So, he toiled for a full day in hot summer and got a nod about his work. Then he was offered work only for 2 days. After that, the owner had excuses of low business and asked him to stay back and come only if called. He then tried in a grocery store and they told him their selection procedure: half an hour test, followed by 2 days of zero salary on job training and if found suitable they would accept him for a casual job. He went. He was given a half an hour test: to pack tomatoes in 1 kg bags after weighing them. He could pack 25 bags but was told the pass mark was 40 bags. 40 bags in 30 minutes - did they play some joke on him? Is this the way this country treats the casual job seekers? Are they living still in the 19th century of early industrialisation and labour exploitation?
Finally he went into yet another restaurant with a reference where he was asked for a paid trial of the job and was accepted. And what job - dish washing, kitchen cleaning. Working hours : 12 noon to 10:30 pm with half an hour break. It's manual dish washing, not with a machine. The working hour extends beyond 10:30 sometimes up to midnight. The wage: $11 per hour. The govt rule has fixed minimum wage rate as $18.93 an hour! But who cares? This is a developed country, not a third world poor rotten country. But the thousands on the margin have no voice, no protection. Are those talking about democracy and equality and human rights aware of this dark labour world beneath the structured formal economy? Then how is it that they shed tears for maltreatment of animals and rights of deadly convicts but utter not a single word about the economy down under?
Anyway, I am least interested in what armchair social reformers do and more concerned about my son. And the very fact that the human labour exploitation exists. And the pain of seeing this exploitation happen with my own son.
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