Working overtime...
Had a series of recent discussions about work and jobs in general with some people.
It's a basic fact that this country always had a shitty economy. This is due to a series of factors, number one being the fact that every fucker out there would sell his soul for a cent more of profit. This of course translates into short-sighted investiments, crappy compensations for workers and a high work schedule. We still work 40 hours a week and make about €2,30 an hour as minumum wage. Note that minimum wage here is not just a reference value, is what most people get paid. If it was 30 cents an hour, that would be everyones salary, if they got their way.
This, of course, leads to low consumer power, low morale and eventually little to no optimism about the state of things. Eventually this just makes the economy stay as is, shitty. I do believe they even labeled it a chrisis. In any case, everyone falls further in debt, there's no progress and little will to change. So, hearing people ranting about how important their job is to them pisses me off.
I'm not talking about important as "I have to support my family" important. I mean "I love my job and it's a significant part of my life" important. If jobs were supposed to be a good thing, you wouldn't require some sort of compensation to do it! Still, there are people who put their jobs above all else. They are generally the same people who put out their chest everytime they say "I'm an engineer/doctor/lawyer/etc". Why do people have to "be" what they do? Why are there people that'd prefer to work overtime than to spend time with their families? Where's the quality of life in all of this?
Just today I was talking to an aquaintance and he was saying that he was now doing a job that had been previously done by three people. Had to do overtime because of it. Overtime for which he wasn't being paid. He mentioned also that he was expected to do just that. If he didn't work overtime, they'd probably fire him. So he just wakes up, goes to work, goes home at about 22:00 and sleeps. Wash, rinse, redo! Over and over again. All that for a handfull of coins by the end of the month. All this and the possibility of getting sacked whenever they feel like it (he's still on a temp contract... after 2 and something years of working there).
I fail to see the purpose of it.
P.S. To all of you who are gonna go on about feeding families ans such, I understand that there are many cases when you have no choice but to submit to such terms. My point is that... the existence of such terms is wrong. Make money to get a car to get to work, a house to live in with out the time to enjoy it because you're out working and clothes to make you presentable when you're at work. Not producing anything of importance, most of the times. There has to be a better way that this. And also... I'm not afraid of a little hard work. I want to work. I just don't want my life to be all but work. And I don't think you should either!
It's a basic fact that this country always had a shitty economy. This is due to a series of factors, number one being the fact that every fucker out there would sell his soul for a cent more of profit. This of course translates into short-sighted investiments, crappy compensations for workers and a high work schedule. We still work 40 hours a week and make about €2,30 an hour as minumum wage. Note that minimum wage here is not just a reference value, is what most people get paid. If it was 30 cents an hour, that would be everyones salary, if they got their way.
This, of course, leads to low consumer power, low morale and eventually little to no optimism about the state of things. Eventually this just makes the economy stay as is, shitty. I do believe they even labeled it a chrisis. In any case, everyone falls further in debt, there's no progress and little will to change. So, hearing people ranting about how important their job is to them pisses me off.
I'm not talking about important as "I have to support my family" important. I mean "I love my job and it's a significant part of my life" important. If jobs were supposed to be a good thing, you wouldn't require some sort of compensation to do it! Still, there are people who put their jobs above all else. They are generally the same people who put out their chest everytime they say "I'm an engineer/doctor/lawyer/etc". Why do people have to "be" what they do? Why are there people that'd prefer to work overtime than to spend time with their families? Where's the quality of life in all of this?
Just today I was talking to an aquaintance and he was saying that he was now doing a job that had been previously done by three people. Had to do overtime because of it. Overtime for which he wasn't being paid. He mentioned also that he was expected to do just that. If he didn't work overtime, they'd probably fire him. So he just wakes up, goes to work, goes home at about 22:00 and sleeps. Wash, rinse, redo! Over and over again. All that for a handfull of coins by the end of the month. All this and the possibility of getting sacked whenever they feel like it (he's still on a temp contract... after 2 and something years of working there).
I fail to see the purpose of it.
P.S. To all of you who are gonna go on about feeding families ans such, I understand that there are many cases when you have no choice but to submit to such terms. My point is that... the existence of such terms is wrong. Make money to get a car to get to work, a house to live in with out the time to enjoy it because you're out working and clothes to make you presentable when you're at work. Not producing anything of importance, most of the times. There has to be a better way that this. And also... I'm not afraid of a little hard work. I want to work. I just don't want my life to be all but work. And I don't think you should either!
posted by Cash at 11/16/2006 12:24:00 PM
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