Before I wax on wax off about Contractors and why I think they are killers.............. let me explain the world I grew up in.
In the world I grew up in, companies , corporations and mines took on a role very similar to a family. In fact in Japan for instance, one of the reasons for their amazing economic success, was that the people involved all regarded the "company"as family. And the company as family, took care of it's own. People were respected in those days. They were paid a decent salary, with pension contributions and medical contributions. (This was before both medical aid and pension schemes became rogue Mafia institutions) There was a sense of respect, dignity and a two way street of, we all work together........... make the system successful..... and we all benefit in the end.
I started noticing about 15 years ago, that something was seriously going wrong. Workers salaries were barely keeping up with the rate of inflation, and yet, the earnings of top management, the CEOs and the investors were reaping it in at often 400% profit margins with the added benefits of many loopholes known as "Tax avoidance.". To my mind, this was criminal and basically moving towards slavery under another name and basic theft.
[BTW to all those who want to turn this into a Racial Issue........... it is NOT a racial issue and it has nothing to do with Apartheid, in fact these Corporations have been screwing everyone, across the board. K? Right! moving on now]
Then another sinister concept entered into the equation. The Contractor. But let us first look at the origins of contracting.
If for example you are going to build a road from A to B, and when that road has been built, that is the end of the job, then the people who build it are contracted to do the job, because the job has a limited life span. Fair enough.
However.............. there is a sinister side to contracting. And it goes like this. In order to avoid all the labour laws, many companies these days employ people on contract. The old concept of seeing workers as family, and a two way street of commitment for the benefit of all concerned, has been thrown out of the window, along with corporate greed and total control.
Marikana is a perfect example of this. The miners are employed by a third party, being the contractor. The Mine pays the Contractor . Most of these deals are done in cash, so they cannot be traced. Half on the books, half under the table. The contractor in turn, takes 75% paid out to him, and the miners are paid a pittance.
This is not only going on at Marikana, but across the board in all businesses. People are no longer employed as permanent staff, but are employed on contract, which means that they can find many loopholes in the labour laws. The system, unlike the old days, that was a nurturing family centered environment, has turned into a money grabbing rip off where workers have in effect, become treated with disrespect and slaves in the machine.
So what is the solution?
Unless you are building a road, which has a finish line, then contracting for any company that is an on going concern like a mine, a supermarket, a auto mechanic......... should NOT be allowed to employ people on contract.
We need laws that stipulate that Contracting out must and can only apply to a Company where there is a limited time period required for employment. As in building a road, a bridge, or a promotional event.
On going concerns like mines, supermarkets, restaurants and the like, that are on going concerns that do not have a limited time span, should be prohibited from employing people on contract.
The most successful companies, as a study of history will reveal........... are those companies that treat their staff with dignity, caring, respect and fair salaries, and in return get commitment to the greater good.
Old fashioned values based on the principle of family, extended to the work force has always stood the test of time. Pure and utter greed, treating people with disrespect and like machines........... has always throughout history proved to come to a very sticky end. For once............ can we learn from the past and not make the same mistakes over and over again?
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