The demise of employees
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At long last, employees are a thing of the past. They’re all colleagues now. This is from a Tesco round robin:
“Supporting our colleagues
- As we have throughout the pandemic, we continue to support our colleagues affected by COVID-19 with paid absence from day one.
- We have recruited more than 11,000 temporary colleagues to help stores across the UK this Christmas.
- In recognition of the incredible work of our colleagues on the front line, we’re paying a 10% bonus over the festive period.”
John Lewis, on the other hand, calls them partners.
That’s ok then.
This the same Tesco, who were taken to court, for paying female workers less than men doing the same jobs. If I’m right it was a practice that went on for years!
I used to work for the Co-op. Women staff went on strike for more pay. My then manager said: “women only work for pin money”.
I also worked for Waitrose as it was. I later found out there’s a ‘silent’ share? Every year John Lewis Partnership as it was then, would set aside an astronomical amount of the ‘profits’ for “future investment purposes.” One year this was something like £400m! The Staff bonus scheme was little more than deferred wages!
Just remember, the government Tory, I think bought in a profit share scheme for workers. It wasn’t bad at first, the bonus. The bosses then got into trouble and went to court, the Industrial Race relationship board for unfair dismissal? The bosses lost the case. To pay the court fine and court costs, they took monies from the staff profit share scheme! Which wasn’t fair or what the scheme was intended for. The profit Scheme didn’t last long, 2 years in all? It was then scraped by the Government…as .it was costing ( the government) too much money? A successful scheme hoisted by its own petard.The labour relations contract is indeed being torn up- but by who and for who…
We start with casual contracts and the signifier used is casual employee.
But now we are in a relationship with our employer: business partner!
There are a number of gig economy jobs (you know them: ride share, food delivery, social care, right across the economic domain): but not jobs… no.
Get a business number. Grow your profits. Come on- make a squint! This is the new mantra.
So you do your own tax return, make your own balance sheet. But you are limited as to the shift you select, or get rated for… you are now self employed- a below the minimum wage capitalist.
Well done colleague, business partner: you are now a Charlie Chaplin capitalist, replete with rags and bowler hat- the cane, well it is for self flogging.
This new narrative of self employed employee should be the last alarm bell to ring for the ravages to come- but some of our comrades have lived this since the year dot….
So for who: by who- it depends on rule governed behaviour and agreeance with the hegemonic turn.
When Things Fall Apart– there will be no station in the Brave New World: Ragged and starving capitalists we: buying that same old dream. Let it go… time for a sea change in the social contract…
Awake, time to vote.
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