Similar Experience????

pete_mcs

Just got a job after a year on the dole. Down 6 euro an hour on what I was getting last year, but can accept that and thats not my complaint.
My gripe is the way I am being treated. My new employers treat their employees like dirt! Every second of the working day the supervisors are telling the personnel to work harder even when targets are being exceeded, they are constantantly being reminded that if they dont want to work, they can leave and will be replaced in the morning.
All employees are on a month by month contract, and the carrot of a new monthly contract is always being waved in the employees faces.
Overtime is expected, and the threat of being "let go" is used to force the employees to do all the overtime expected. OT is paid at a flat rate, 70 hour work weeks are common.
Is this common practice in the modern Irish workplace?
(Make no mistake, I will be there as long as I possibly can, a job is a job, and beggers cant be choosers.)

The_Honeybadger

Not sure if you're in the right forum, but I did have a kind of similar experience, I worked for a major MNC with very tough performance targets, and it was an experience I would prefer to forget, I was being almost harassed on a daily basis about targets etc, that said, the rewards were extremely good when you did perform, which I did most of the time, problem is I was so mentally exhausted and stressed from the job that I couldn't enjoy what little time off I had. Work to live, not the other way around. I think I would suffer most things at the moment though to ensure a steady income, treat the job as a step towards something better if it is as bad as you say.

flutered

it is they way things are going unfortunatley, stick it out until christmas, while still looking for something else, in my experience one finds enployment easier to find while employed.

RichardAnd

I've never been treated badly by any employer but I can imagine what it's like. My advice is that you keep looking for a different job whilst staying with the one you have. As bad as it is, it's still better than the dole surely?

_Kaiser_

It's an employers market at the moment, and unfortunately some of them are taking complete advantage of it - probably get better replies over on the Work & Jobs forum though.

The_Thing

You and everyone else working there should join a union if you're not members of one already.

pete_mcs

The chances of forming a union or even a group amongst the workers would be impossible. The fear factor would not allow it.
I dont want to complain about the work, I am happy to do anything in the present climate, I dont want to complain about the money, I can accept that a company needs to pay me less to survive.
Why do they feel the need to treat us like sh*t, just cause they can. A little faith and respect from the company, and they would get more prodution.
Not a hope of me leaving though, takes so long just to find one. Going to still keep looking.
Put it in the Irish Economy Forum, because I was interested to hear if this is how the Irish economy will be in the future, to compete with the eastern European countries.
Will we just have to accept it?

Head The Wall

70 hour work weeks are illegal for a start, make an anonymous call to NERA, see what they recommend. Union's are a waste of time

murphaph

The_Thing wrote: »

You and everyone else working there should join a union if you're not members of one already.

Unions won't be interested if it's a private firm that can shut up shop and move to China. Unions only go for the easy kill, mostly public sector and semi state or businesses that would not be able to trade outside Ireland (retail mostly).

The_Thing

Unions are most definitely interested in employees of private firms joining. My sister is being made redundant from a private firm and only for the union there the company would have f***ed over the workforce with the payments they were initially offering.

The only thing to fear is fear itself. You have a democratic right to join a union if you want to. If you and other workers like you do not take a stand there will be no opposing the IBEC\ISME race-to-the-bottom agenda.

Speak to your colleagues and see what they think about the idea. If they agree then you should all join the union on the same day (and at the same time) so that the employer won't be able to divide and conquer the workforce.

You will also be able to claim tax back on any union dues you pay.

dan_d

Actually I think your problem there is that you're on month by month contracts.

If you weren't it would be one less carrot to wave in your face.

70 hour weeks may be illegal but to be quite honest, I was made redundant recently from a job where 8-6 were the basic hours 5 days of the week. And I usually worked 7.30 to 6.30, often more. And there were those with me who worked 8am - 10pm or even midnight. Just the way things were in the industry (construction). There's no such thing as overworking or illegal hours in construction.And I worked for a company who are very well respected and actually treat their employees very well.It's how it goes. Doesn't mean I liked it, but it makes me very impatient of those who whinge about having to work an extra half hour etc, etc (that's not directed at you OP, I had an experience with social welfare worker today....!)

Anyway, I hear what you're saying, I suppose a union is the only way to go if you can manage it. But I think the bigger problem is the contract thing here, and everything else follows on...

The_Thing

@dan_d

I worked as a hod carrier in London for a few years in my younger days and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Tough work, but it kept me fit and I was earning £55 a day in 1988. Most of my bosses during my years in London were English brickies and they were sound out - funnily enough the only bad one I had was an Irishman.

In my opinion an outside job far away from some factory assembly line or office is much preferable.

Berty

It may be worth finding out if those above the supervisors have a different view on things and are unaware of what their supervisors are doing on the floor.

If that is the case raise it with them and tell them you feel bullied(waving contract in your face), stressed and undervalued.

If they don't care either then stick it out until you cannot personally work their anymore.

I was told a similar thing when I started working years ago. "If you dont like it there's the door". I went back to work in the warehouse and did sod all for the remaining 6 months.

pete_mcs

I dont want to start a anti foreign workers campaign, but the majority of the employees are Eastern Europeans. They are ideal employees, always on time, never missing work, hard working and very friendly and welcoming towards me. But their mentality towards accepting the crap from above is so different to what I was brought up to accept.
Was telling a supervisor from a different shift (a neighbour of mine) outside work, about the situation. She agreeded that the month to month contract "carrots" are terrible, and has asked her shift just to reach the targets, and not to exceed.
She fears that if the Irish economy ever starts to recover, and jobs become available elsewhere, the experienced quailified workers will leave in droves, forcing the company to take people from the bottom of the barrel. She said she has expressed this view to senior management, without any response.

Slasher

Welcome to the real world. This type of treatment is not unusual and not a "recession" thing. It has been going on for years, you just have not experienced it before. Stick it out as long as you can until you get a better job. Best of luck with it.