The concept of work post lockdown

[N_igma]

Dave Lewis, ‘Dave’ the CEO or whatever the fuck he is, sends us emails telling us how proud he is of our work. Dave sent us one yesterday saying he thought it was probably ok if we started wearing face masks. This is 5 weeks after he said that he didn’t think they were ‘appropriate’. He actually sends these messages from his work email address so I sent him my thoughts. I asked him why it had taken him so long to give us the go ahead? I said I thought I knew what his reply would be. That he was following govt advice. I said that the govt would say that they were following the expert’s advice and that would dribble off into nothingness and that would be a great way to shirk responsibility. I also said it was really annoying being told someone was proud of you when you knew they were nowhere near the shop.

He’ll never read that email. I used to work in a call centre for Sainsbury’s and any complaint sent to the CEO was forwarded to my team in N.Ireland to deal with. Customers expecting Justin King to call them back, no just Irish Paddy here with a gift card to shut you up lol.

 

[bmd]

He’ll never read that email. I used to work in a call centre for Sainsbury’s and any complaint sent to the CEO was forwarded to my team in N.Ireland to deal with. Customers expecting Justin King to call them back, no just Irish Paddy here with a gift card to shut you up lol.

It made me feel really empowered, right up to reading your reply.

 

[Big Bertha]

Tesco’s online business has risen hugely, 75% by some estimates. They’ve just paid out a dividend to their shareholders, whilst paying their staff 10% more during this time. To put that in context, Sunday working used to pay 100% more. There is no more pay than the minimum wage (when it was raised, Tesco told their employees that was the reason they were being laid off) at Tesco now unless it’s mandatory. There is no overtime.

This is not Corbyn’s fault, you’re right but I do believe that he would have been unable to capitalise on the Tories’ incredible ineptitude, to save his life. Never mind mine.

You only need to look at his tenure as party leader to see that he was unable to capitalise on anything.

Useless twat.

 

[Marty1]

The concept of work pre lockdown was alien to me. Fuck knows where I go from here...

Retired?

 

[ruffneck23]

As soon as we go back I'm going to quit if I am not made redundant first, I was thinking about it before all this , now after having some time to re-evaluate my life ,I've realised I no longer want to work in the environment I've been working in . Life's too short!

 

[Marty1]

Interesting article:

The coronavirus crisis has sounded the death knell for liberal globalisation

By accelerating the rebirth of the nation state and the working class, the pandemic will shape a new era.

www.newstatesman.com

The second consequence of the crisis is the visibility and necessity of the working class. In the previous era of globalisation, shelf-stackers, lorry drivers, hospital cleaners and carers were contracted out and mostly invisible. The crisis has clarified a distinctive aspect of the meaning of labour: it is something you can’t do from home. It requires real physical presence, leaving home and doing something, usually involving your hands, for other people.

 

[NoXion]

You only need to look at his tenure as party leader to see that he was unable to capitalise on anything.

Useless twat.

Hard to gain political capital when people who are supposedly in the same party keep stabbing you in the back. Corbyn had his faults, but the effacement of treasonous action by the Labour right is the worst kind of historical revisionism.

 

[Pickman's model]

On low pad migrant workers who are mainly women. Here is example of them organising themselves and winning.

College cleaners defeated outsourcing. They’ve shown it can be done | Aditya Chakrabortty

They swept up after Soas’s lectures on exploitation, but got no sick pay. Then one worker decided she had to act, writes Guardian columnist Aditya Chakrabortty

www.theguardian.com

Note that the organising and action was initiated by the cleaners themselves.

They did have support of Unison and the students.

This was SOAS so high profile employer ( who outsourced cleaning) who are more likely to get into media due to the industrial action.

So this is case of low paid mainly women workers plus traditional trade union plus public support being sucessful. This of course is a particular case. A small care home isn't likely to get into the news.

I don't agree with all redsquirrel says. ( on not supporting non members) but think redsquirrel is being unfairly criticised here.

since that article was written, cleaners have returned from being outsourced at birkbeck and they're being returned to direct employment at senate house too