WorkersWildWest no.7

MANY FACES! - SNAPSHOTS FROM DISTRIBUTING WORKERSWILDWEST

Sainsbury’s Superstore, Ladbroke Grove, Nightshift worker
“The guys on the older contracts were called in by management and it was announced that they will cut our break time during nightshift. People were angry, but then also scared to do something. Some weeks later the Sainsbury’s higher-up management announced that they will reduce the number of store managers by more than half.”

Brakes, Premier Park, Park Royal, Warehouse worker
“I work on night-shift. Workers do voice-controlled pick in ambient, chiller and freezer. You have to wear a head-set and a computer voice tells you what to pick. The pick-rate has been increased from 160 to 170 pieces per hour recently. We are paid around £11 for nights.”

24-hour Asda supermarket in Park Royal, Cafe worker
“They recently cut our hours and at peak times it is not enough to have just two people working here.”

Millenium Food, Metropolitan Park, Greenford, Agency worker
“ASAP agency sent me to this factory last autumn. They make pizza bases, amongst other things. The agency fork-lift drivers were paid only £7.50. The work is stressful, they make you operate different machines at the same time - machines that flatten dough balls.”

Amazon Flex, West-Drayton, PMP Agency worker
“After the peak-season they cut the weekly working time from 40 hours to 30 hours. At the same time it is difficult to take time off in emergencies, they give you trouble for it.”

Wealmoor, Fruit and Veg warehouse, Greenford, worker
“We have problems with getting our holidays, management allocated holidays arbitrarily. It is also a disgrace that night- shift workers still only get £8 - and 12 hour shifts are heavy.”

EBP factory, Park Royal, Production worker
“Management knows that people are not too happy, because wages are low. Even after 10 to 15 years, you are still close to the minimum. Atmosphere was bad around Christmas, so management announced a £100 bonus, something they haven’t done in years. It pays if more people show that they are not happy.”

Amey, Greenford depot, Refuse worker
“They recently introduced time-sheets that we have to ll in - it causes even more problems with pay and overtime pay. Many guys have not been paid for their hours. The work load has increased after the job cuts. Yesterday I came back from my round at 4pm, having started around 5am - and management had already left.”

Amazon Flex, West Drayton, driver
“When I worked there you were paid £52 for a four hour block. If you reduce not only short-term costs like petrol, but long-term costs like insurance and repairs you end up with £8, perhaps £9 per hour. First I was given good routes close to the warehouse and only around 30 to 50 parcels. This number steadily increased and it was impossible to deliver all parcels during the four hours. They give you warnings if you bring parcels back and they give you worse routes. In the end the number of blocks also went down. I had to take on an extra- job to pay for the car insurance. They call us self-employed, but we aren’t - we are working for them and we should force them to give us regular hours.”

London Linen, Iron Bridge, Southall, Laundry worker
“Over hundred workers clean linen for hotels and restaurants. Even after years of working here, wages are still around £8. The agency workers from StaffMatch get even less and often wait for more than a year before getting a permanent job. The drivers pay is pretty okay. The company had been a family-run business, but it has been taken over recently. There is a GMB union, but we don’t hear much from them.”

Park Plaza Hotel, Park Royal, Room worker
“Initially they only paid the minimum, then raised the wage by 50 pence, because many people left. The pressure on the room maids is high. They use the zero-hour contracts to keep the pressure on. You cannot see this from outside, just the colourful neon-lights.”

Sainsbury’s Depot, Greenford, Truck driver
“I have been working at this place for more than seven years. A lot of people come and go, the agency workers leave quickly, as they don’t get holidays. They don’t get holidays, because they don’t have enough drivers. They don’t have enough drivers, because the agency pays badly...”

Palletways, Greenford Auriol Drive, Truck driver
“There is a lot of pressure on drivers, they sack people for minor mistakes - while increasing the number of self- employed drivers. They pay a bonus if you go on a second round (20 pallet plus), but they pay the bonus according to their mood, you can’t rely on it. They also give drivers unequal routes. You leave the depot late, because you can’t find your pallets - the fork-lift drivers are overworked.”

Kolak, Crisps factory, Park Royal, Production worker
“Many languages in the factory, Romanian, Polish, Gujarati, ... And divisions between permanent and agency staff. There have been quite a few smaller and bigger accidents recently.”

Job Centre Ealing, Unemployed worker
“I think it is outrageous that the job centre allows private temp agencies to set up a stall inside the job centre to sign people on. They shouldn’t give free space and advertisement for private companies that pay peanuts. It also puts pressure on people: if you don’t sign on for the minimum, you might get sanctioned.”