Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

Keep your chin up, Mike...

Keep plugging away Mike, I've a lot of respect for you sticking this out rather than taking the easy way out and sitting on the benefits system.

Just read this. Mike, i don't know what to say. Two words though, family and friends. Maybe it's better to think and then PM. For the first time in my life, i feel i should have been in UK at this moment or had UK contacts.

I have been following this thread but couldnt say much. Just that, I haven't met people like Mike very often. He is working out of self respect, rather than make use of a ready made system and stay off benefits.
Mike
Heres wishing you all the luck to get a better job soon (which you deserve !)

Mike hold you chin high and think positive. why don't you try a job in retail as temp measure until you get a desk shop. the pay is better and much better working condition's. I work at waitrose and this time of year we are always looking for new recruits.

My view of attitudes of workers to each other comes back to a phrase I heard about why Americans look down on Europeans. Because they were the ones that stayed back to look after the goats. Managers organise people who have come from a similar place as themselves, but they have just 'failed' to remove themselves from that state.

Mostly then people can retain respect for the ones they come into contact with, because they remain in the presence of that person's humanity. But that's one level down. Below that, the nameless faces, they can often seem to even despise, and just see them in terms of the problems they cause.

The film Paths of Glory reminds me of employment relationships. In this, a general is asked to take territory in WWI trenches. He says it can't be done. The general is told that he will be honoured if he does. So he says he'll try. Of course they fail. So three of the soldiers are shot for cowardise.

I often am reminded of this at work.

Thanks for all the encouragement, guys....

WEEKS SIX, SEVEN AND EIGHT

After the low of Week Five, I must admit that it's been much more tolerable in recent times. During most of Week Six, I was called off packing boxes along with one other guy who was coincidentally called Mike, to put together a number of 'cages' for product. So, basically, it was a lot of DIY stuff, which I'm not great at, but which was much more enjoyable that what I was doing in Week Five! We seem to have done a good job of it, because it was commended.

Then, during Weeks Seven and Eight, I was asked to play the role of a 'water spider', which is a curious title for someone who is assigned to a particular line of packers, and has to ensure that they have all the right size boxes, tape, dunnage paper, etc in a timely basis. It was very tiring, but more satisfying than actually packing boxes, and was something I was actually good at for a change. But it's not something I can do for long...the lack of use of the mind is a bit stifling.

Then, on Wednesday night, we had a bizarre staff meeting...all the managers were dressed as witches and vampires, and seemed somewhat disappointed that none of the workers turned up in similar fancy dress.

Some may say that the attire was somewhat appropriate....

I'm upbeat, because after two months in the job, I'm entitled to four days' leave, which I have to take before mid-November, before the busy time starts, and then no one is allowed to take leave. I applied for, and got, four days next week, when I will hopefully be able to rest, and concentrate on finishing writing my dissertation for my History Masters at the Open University. Quite naturally, if I find Amazon and the Masters clashing and competing for my time, it's obvious which of the two I'm going to choose.

In the middle of Week Seven, I was applying safety tape to the floor of the warehouse, under instructions from a German manager from the European Head Office in Luxembourg, and I had a chat with him about how I feel the job doesn't quite fit my qualifications. He advised me to look up some Amazon jobs on the website, and apply for them. I did so, and even though the closing date is not until early December, I already received rejection emails!

I think that tells me what I've always known....Amazon has no use for a person of my skills. I've a feeling this will be my last month there. Already, a few of the friends I made are not there any more for one reason or another. One got a better job offer in another company (not hard to imagine!), another got a promotion to the job I'd applied for, another is getting married and didn't fancy coming back to this, and a couple more have moved to the graveyard shift. Now, the only person I feel I can have a decent conversation with at the dinner break is the other Mike, and one other guy I just started chatting to, a guy from Hyderbad named Shiv (good name!). Shiv is probably the guy in the warehouse with better educational qualifications than me - he recently graduated from Middlesex University with a Masters in computing, and is allowed under Home Office rules to work in Britain until 2014. However, the only job he could get is this one...says a lot, doesn't it?

There is a lot of tension in the warehouse, and sadly, it hurts me to say this, because I'm a strong advocate and supporter of immigrants working and filling needs in the economy. But there are a lot of employees from a certain Eastern European country in this warehouse, and a couple of them have made it to managers, and rightly so, because both are good at their jobs. But they seem to be abusing their positions by promoting their countrymen and women, quite a few of whom are less efficient workers than others in the factory, to more favoured positions. This practice is being muttered about by British-born workers, and even the normally quiet Asian workers are starting to grumble about it.

Both Shiv and I have resolved to leave by the end of the month. I would happily work in a Waitrose now, after this experience....

But my previous experience tends to be that supermarkets think I'm over-qualified, and won't stay - I got that response from the local Morrisons. Still, the search goes on....

WEEKS NINE, TEN, ELEVEN AND TWELVE

I've moved this to the Blogs section, even though it's not really about cricket, because I wanted it to be in a section of this MB where even non-members can see it, if they want to....

The ninth week wasn't too bad, since I had applied for some leave, and after constantly harrassing my agency rep, they finally got back to me to say that it was approved. So, I spent my four days off writing my dissertation for my Masters.

On the tenth week, I chatted a bit more with another worker, a guy from Chennai, and discovered that he had recently graduated from Bedford Uni with a Masters in psychology. But he was in a good mood, because his brother had found him a job back in his home city, and he was heading home in January. During this week, I was reminded by a couple of the leads that my packing of boxes was not as fast as they would like it to be. I then informed one of them that I'm really fed up now, and was seriously thinking of calling it a day. It was interesting to see how the manager backed down at that point...maybe they need packers more than they're letting on.

I spoke to a young Londoner who had recently graduated from Uni with a degree in maths, and this was the only job he could get. The manager had just informed us that compulsory overtime was now in effect, and that we now had to work six days a week. This caught us by surprise, especially the young Londoner, who had a job interview on his day off (Friday) for a job he really wanted to do. Now that Friday was the compulsory overtime day, his pleas to have the day off were ignored by the manager. I advised the young man to just call in sick on the day, and go to the interview, and fortunately he seems to have taken my advice....

During the eleventh week, I went down with a fever, that left me weak, and I later developed a cough, sneezing, and occasional upset stomach. I called in sick, and ended up being off for a whole week, as a result of this illness. If I had been at a desk job, I would've struggled in on a couple of those days. But when you are forced to stand up for eight hours straight, packing boxes at an inhuman pace, resulting in aching backs and pained feet and legs, it's hard to do the job if you're already feeling weak from a fever.

When I turned up for work on the twelfth week, my agency rep seemed so sceptical when filling out my form for Statutory Sick Pay, as if he thought I was doing a bunk. I have never been treated like that in any other job....

During the course of the work day, I felt a relapse, and had no second thoughts about going to the agency rep, and telling him I was too ill to continue, and wanted to go home. If they had treated me better, I would've toughed it out, but the way they try to make workers feel guilty for getting ill just got my goat. I'm still ill in bed today, and won't be going in today. I've resolved not to return to Hemel Hempstead until I'm 100% fit again....

My final blog on this issue...what a relief!

I received a call shortly after my last post, telling me that my employment had been terminated due to my accumulation of too many 'points', as a result of my illness. I must confess, I was relieved that I would no longer have to go back to Amazon, because it was really getting to me now. And I lasted three months, which is longer than I thought I would, and longer than most of the folks who started with me.

I've checked my bank, and they seem to have docked me my pay for the time when I was ill, and I'm waiting to see what pay comes in this week for my last week on the job. I'm discussing the case with ACAS, to see whether I should take this issue to an employment tribunal. Of course, if I do, I won't be able to discuss it....

However, I suspect that a big business like Amazon and its agencies are aware of the loopholes in our employment law, and are taking advantage of it. It's just sad that a big company like Amazon can come into the UK and treat workers in this appalling way.

I admire your perseverance, Mike. You don't say whether you have any plans for the future, but good wishes to you and yours, whatever it may hold.

Have followed this with interest Mike. Thanks for sharing these posts. Hope there are better experiences ahead.

Amazon are one of the many companies in the news mentioned for not paying sufficient/any tax. Starbucks said they were looking into paying more tax! As if the entire process is voluntary and optional. I avoid these companies entirely. And other companies like Walkers, the big four supermarkets and Vodaphone. Amazon now own Lovefilm. It is easy to miss other companies owned by multinationals.

If anyone has advice about how to avoid giving business to google, other than not using their search engine, I'd be interested. I've given up, with reluctance, youtube, but am not sure if they make profit out of it. I presume they do.

Respect for sticking it out Mike in such torrid times, hope you get what you are rightfully owed.

Out of interest are Amazon still recruiting? Seems strange to get shut of workers when you've mentioned that they packers and during the christmas run-up too.

Also will you be making that phone call to Panorama?

here you go, Mike

http://money.aol.co.uk/2013/02/13/union ... d%3D154371

The feedback we are getting is that it is like being in a slave camp.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree ... me-offence