When I was a teenager and working in the City, I’d never heard of overtime, you worked 9am – 5pm, or 8am – 4pm and, there were the night workers. There were shift hours, but people got endorsed breaks and, periods off so that they could have some decent relaxation time before going back to work, particularly if it was related to machinery or transport.
Nowadays it’s all about taking advantage and, defrauding the worker because the company are making you work exceedingly long hours, for what appears to be lots of money, but when you break it down, it’s really not that much at all.
When interns are reportedly put through what they call ‘the magic roundabout’, where businesses are taking them from work to home; so that they can shower and, change their clothing and, then take them back to work once again for yet another long day, does that not show you the techniques that firm’s use to confuse a person into thinking that they are working for longer hours for additional money and, it’s a skilful deception and, one that interns don’t realise is happening to them.
Nevertheless, when interns are collapsing in their showers and, dying, then that is a problem which needs to be called upon and swiftly because Britain’s streets are not paved with gold and, companies here will take advantage of anyone, either coming to this country for what they think is a better life for them, or interns that are prepared to work unacceptable hours so that they can get on in life, at the cost of their lives.
Young people will readily take on an internship thinking that they have landed an opportunity at their dream job, but instead they find themselves working extremely long hours with a tiring fusion of all nighters, weekend work and the ‘magic roundabout’.
Since the job market is the toughest it has been in an extremely long time, the competitiveness is even more inflated and, as a result, those gifted, hard-working, young people are more than ready to work the extremely long hours, which nearly all other people in higher positions are not prepared to work.
It’s the chance to live the dream and, in due course live in a life of opulence and, the system is sold as a detention of control, where hard work and skill are rewarded, well that’s what they tell you and, currently that is what our government is telling you, giving you zero hour contracts in the UK which coerces workers into fickle shift work without basic employment rights.
THE MONTHLY MOSQUITO 