Being a temp, and it being shit

Not yet, but I fear I'll be in the same position a few months down the line

That sucks Steven.

Not me directly... but when i was working in that shit shop, the girl i worked weekends with she got laid off without even being warned about it.

I came in one day and saw the rota for the next couple of weeks (starting the next day) and her name wasnt anywhere on it, she came in a bit later than me and I kinda had to tell her as there was no one else there. She then phoned up the boss and they were just like "yeah we dont want you anymore, but we didnt get round to telling you".

Ahahahahaha!

I used to work in a call centre - they had everyone other than the management of temp contracts, and some people had been there a couple of years as temps. I was quite lucky in that the project I was on was quite busy so my job was quite safe, and I was moved into another safe team, so was employed continuously during my time there. Another guy I knew there had been let go with a couple of days notice 4 or 5 times during the two years he worked there, and then rehired when it got busy again, a day or two, or sometimes a couple of weeks or a month after being let go. That was pretty shit - it meant everyone was constantly on edge. You'd come into work one day and the person you used to sit next to had just disappeared, or been seamlessly replaced with someone else...

It's just as bad with industrial temping, I used to do a bit of it for manpower (and later Find-a-job) and you always start off being looked down on (especially in the more dangerous or semi-skilled jobs, cos you don't know what you're doing and could fuck up the full-timers' schedules etc), and just when you're getting the hang of it the term's up and you're out and onto the next one.

Worst ones I did were with the older temps, who to a man had worked long term jobs before being dumped, and fucking hated not having a steady income but more than that the indignity of their position - there's no respect in it from co-workers most of the time unless you hang around a while, and if you do, you get the whole leaving thing... fucking depressing to hear from nice old guys who didn't deserve it.

Some of the welders at my dad's place had been temps for years -- the bastards just did it to get out of paying holiday money. All these guys had to sign on for a fortnight every summer when the factory closed.

my first full time job outta uni was v.shitty - i was technically hired permanently but on three months 'probation' (prison-work merger, i like it). I had to work saturdays so i got a weekday off - about two weeks in i was called up to see my line manager and the big boss' (the owner's) chief minion and told "it doesn't matter what it says in your contract [i didn't have one], you can't just go having days off in the middle of the week when theres work to be done".

Same went for working through lunch, which was expected (despite official policy to the contrary). Add to that being made to come in an extra hour early and i ended up being made to work 6 10-hour days a week. cue looking for another job but being repeatedly turned down, even by agencies, as too inexperienced.

Oh yeah and four of us had to work in a room less than 4x4 metres

Anyhow, after three months big boss (owner) came into the 4x4 metre box (i was the only one working that late) and told me "this job isn't really for you is it? make today your last day". Back to bouncing round p/t work then ... my replacement lasted less than two weeks, then the owner started forcing his daughter to work there (all now women actually in the box/office, and the owner's a patriarchal ****, hmmm?).

On the bright side, this experience knocked any residual liberalism out of my graduate ass and made me proper class struggle

I temped as a postman Christmas before last. It was a nightmare, noone told me a fucking thing (literally zero training), which is kinda important when you're delivering Christmas post. I was incredibly half-assed about it (and pretty shit too, to be honest). I remember one day it was pissing down during my round and I was trying to keep the post dry under my coat, but it ended up disintegrating and covering me in paper residue. One parcel completely turned into mush, and I was left with a small cuddly toy, with no idea of where it was supposed to go. I ruined Christmas for some little kid haha.

I'm probably gonna have to start temping again in the summer...on the one hand it's completely fucking shit if you're relying on the income and employment, but for slacker students like me it has its benefits, like being able to do fuckall work and not get noticed cos noone knows your name. I guess the latter is a product of the former.

been temping for approximately a year now since leaving uni, theres just been a cull of temps in our department because of it closing down, about half the temps, the more reliable and servile ones (me included) are being kept on for an unknown period. I'd say that around a third of the temps are older than 50 and have previously lost fairly decent jobs before being forced into temping.

very true, i learnt more about class struggle after a week in work than i did in 3 years studying politics at uni.

i have two job-loss experiences, but i can't share, or i'll put my fist through this computer screen

We're Going to have to let you go I'm sorry.

How long is the notice period?

Today is your last day.

I always regret not reporting that boss to the inland revenue, my payslip always reckoned I'd been paid more than the cheque they gave me said.

I reckon the cunt kept "paying" me for a while after I left and wrote it off against tax, he was an absolute piece of shit.

I was actually quite well treated working in telesales, despite my shit salesmanship they completely failed to fire me, I'd only had one warning when I quit, I should have been fired, in three months I met my sales quota once.

Over two grand for being shit, not bad IMO

I've had my share of crappy temp jobs, mainly 'black' jobs though when I lived in Holland. I'd say that it's only since I moved to the UK that I've had contracts of any sort.

Worst temp job was working as a 'shopper' (compiling large orders by running around the factory filling up a trolley) in an agricultural factory in Holland. Had to be there for 4 every morning, which was bad enough, but they deducted 15 minutes of pay if you were 1 minute late, literally, as it was a clocking in swipe card sort of system.

The most humilitating thing was when I was called up to the front of the factory after the manager found a crumpled up order sheet in the bin (at the start of the shift we were handed out a stack of orders and had to finish them by the end of the shift). It was apparently an order that had been allocated to me and I never actually got it, never figured out how it got in the bin, maybe someone had it in for me, who knows. They herded all the shoppers together and publicly scolded me for trying to lighten my workload by throwing order forms away. Needless to say I was mortified. Couldn't believe that they got away with treating people like that.

The workforce was a mix of Irish, English, Spanish and Eastern European workers. I was just there to make some quick money, all of us were and it wasn't like people intended to stay very long, even though they had a permanent workforce of mainly Dutch workers who seemed to be treated with as much contempt by management as the rest of us.

That factory could really have done with some organising, and if I had been more sorted then, I think I'd have had a go, but I was more of an insurrectionist those days, and my thoughts and fantasies revolved more around burning the fucking place down instead of trying to agitate dissent in the other workers.

I understand how you feel Steven. Relationships with co-workers are important, and of course they become a sort of family and it's sad when you get hoofed out.

Steven - you being in this position really pisses me off! You shouldn't have to be scrabbling around for temp work - you're obviously really talented - can't you get some amazing job in I.T. like my ex - he went from doing crappy jobs and bits and pieces and ended up in I.T. He got paid well, and did his work in like two hours - giving him six hours free for fun net activities/dossing. But this was a while ago - has the market for I.T. jobs changed? Or would this be too much of a busmans holiday for you? Or would it be against your principles? If its not the latter, I know the guy who's resigning from his job as head of systems architecture for Unilever Europe next month. Yes, they are a bastard company. But you could probably do the job standing on your head. And you would be on six figures! You could like live on £30k and donate £70k to libcom! Let me know if you're interested and I'll find out more info.

Newyaka - I'm with you man! If I share my (truly horrendous) job loss experiences I too will destroy my PC in rage. And I've only just got used to using the damn thing!

Everyone - God, we have some truly shit experiences between us! Let all of us not lose hope that one day the day will come when we can find a way to work without getting stuffed or having our souls destroyed!

In comeradeship

Lone Wolf

Ive been in the same deadend job for 5 years straight, on and off for 8 years in total. If I leave, I can't afford to pay rent, and would have to move back with my mother. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a change or move around a lot.

There are lots of traps in having a fulltime secure job too. Can't get away

Hi

I think it has. Last firm I worked for, time was definitely money. If you dosed 6 hours a day, the company would go under, coz you’d not be bringing any cash in.

Love

LR

Dear Lazy

I'm feeling the market for I.T. jobs has changed. But my point was in the case of someone like my ex who was, like, an I.T. genius - he could genuinely complete his work in that time, therefore no loss of profit to the company.

Love

LW

Hi

As something of an “IT genius” myself, I can hand-on-my-heart say that anyone paid a salary (rather than on a hourly or piece-meal basis) is closely monitored to ensure the management extract as much labour as they can. I’ve certainly never seen a shop where finishing early means you get to go home early. Unless you’ve been up late working the compulsory unpaid overtime required to finish the previous project maybe.

Love

LR

see you smug cunt, she never said he left early, just that he spent time dossing/surfing the net.

ANd guess what i'm on a salary and i spend most of my day on here.

Hi

Oh and if someone could see their way into the upper echelons of Unilever, I’ll happily split my commission with anything I can do for them three ways, me, them and a “charity of their choice”.

Love

LR

Hi

Yeah but you only make about 4 grand a year, plus you only got the job coz they couldn’t stand the sight of someone so middle class signing on.

Love

LR

thats all true except they couldn't bear to see me on the dole cos i'm too cool!

personally i reckon it's cos you look like a female swedish exchange student.

Steven - Sorry to hear this! So the 100k job at Unilever is out of the question then? I didn't want to put a dampener on it but I thought Unilever might balk at putting a 23 year old in charge of a team of 500. Still it was a nice thought eh? I think Lazy R would like to pitch for it tho! I really do know this guy! (The Unilever one, not LR that is). We went on a dinner date but even though he was really nice I don't fancy older guys and TBH was really, really jealous of all the cool travel the world stuff his wealth has enabled him to do! I know I could be quids in with a guy like this but TBH would rather earn my own £££ and have issues with the (non) ethics of Unilever. Anyway, if I hear of a more feasible job opp I'll let you and LR know....I don't have a proper job/money either..sucks don't it? Just didn't want to be a Unilever whore.

I'll be needing a secretary in a few years. How are you at wearing short skirts and sitting on desks?

If you throw in some high heels you've got the job.

Hi

Join the club. I made £160 this month.

Love

LR