- Open Democracy Archived Message
Posted by Mary
on May 3, 2020, 3:18 pm
|
'Across the UK, adverts have appeared on billboards and bus stops over the last month which, according to the marketing agency behind them, are intended to show appreciation for workers. “Thank you to our patient carin’, shelf stackin’, lorry drivin’ heroes,” the advert reads. It strikes me as a strange tribute. While it does take bravery to work at the frontlines of an infectious pandemic, calling labour heroism makes some dubious assumptions about agency. Many workers – from delivery drivers to nurses – have been left with no choice but to shoulder additional risks, some which their employers are responsible for. One medical practitioner told us that inadequate protective equipment has left her feeling like “cheap labour” rather than a hero. It’s good to show gratitude to each other, of course, but by honouring dangerous labour are we dressing up exploitation? This week, openDemocracyUK * reported that thousands of call-centre workers have been forced to continue working during the pandemic. Some in centres where colleagues have died or fallen ill. Government guidelines give employers free rein to decide whether employees should come into work. And that figure is now as high as 51% of adults in employment, according to the Office for National Statistics, exposing the myth of the lockdown. The rise in demand for essential goods has meant that migrant workers are needed more than ever. Hence the bizarre spectacle of the Daily Mail greeting the arrival of seasonal farmworkers from eastern Europe last month with the headline “Romanians to the rescue”. What the Mail doesn’t tell you is that many migrant workers have long suffered poor working conditions and lacked basic rights. The pandemic has left them more vulnerable than ever. democraciaAbierta ** recently revealed that migrant farm and factory workers in the US have been forced to work while sick. “I’ve had a fever and flu symptoms, but I take Tylenol and keep working,” said one worker. In the Gulf, the pandemic has deepened the hardships of migrant workers. Rabiya Jaffery reports on North Africa, West Asia, that while cleaning companies continue to claim they are still paying wages, employees say they have yet to receive them. And finally, in Italy, a labour shortage in the agricultural sector has exposed the consequences of the country’s anti-immigrant policies. Could the crisis bring about a radical rethink, ask Letizia Palumbo and Alessandra Corrado. Thank you for reading, watching and listening. We hope it’s helpful, Adam Bychawski, Assistant Editor *https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/revealed-thousands-at-risk-from-covid-19-in-dangerous-call-centres/ ** https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/can-europe-make-it/replenished-grocery-stores-tomorrow-rely-on-migrants-work-today/ |
| Message Thread:
|