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Retail workers also get short-changed

Labour Q&A with Terry Bell

Fin24 user Claude du Toit laments the lot of retail workers and wants to know how they can also get "perks".

He writes:

Good day,

People in the retail industry are also well underpaid - working the long hours and stress involved in meeting budgets that are set against previous years when times were going well.

You can't get off over any festive time, in fact you work longer hours and then you are given time off for the over-time worked.

Surely there is something that can be done for us as well? We also want a 13th check, leave over Christmas, housing allowance, medical aid. How do we go about this?

Terry Bell responds:

And good day to you too Claude. Along with commiserations because I am aware of the situation in many of the retail outlets.

The only means workers have is to organise, but all too often unions that grew up in what you refer to as "when times were going well", became bureaucratic and failed to serve members well or they simply lacked the capacity and did not organise properly at shop floor level.  

Unfortunately, in situations of mass unemployment there are many more people desperate for the relatively few jobs available in areas such as retail. This makes organising difficult.  

But we do have fairly good labour laws in the Labour Relations and Basic Conditions of Employment Acts. Some employers are in regular breach of these laws and workers should, therefore, be aware of their rights and be prepared to defend them.  

However, it is always better to fight such battles as a united workforce. So organisation through democratic trade unionism seems the only means available to deal with the legitimate demands you raise.

*Have a question for Terry? Drop us a line.
 
- Fin24

* Terry Bell is an independent political, economic and labour analyst. Views expressed are his own. Follow him on twitter @telbelsa.

Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on Fin24 have been independently written by members of the Fin24 community. The views of users published on Fin24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent those of Fin24.

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