temp agencies

[abbielives!]

what are peoples opinions of them?
what impact are they having?
would i be scabbing to work for one?

[RedAnarchist]

Whats a temp agency?

[PRC-UTE]

fair play in starting this topic comrade. I hope people can share their experiences in dealing with these, and how to organise in them. it makes it very difficult for workers to fight back which is basically why they exist.

[abbielives!]

Originally posted by [email protected] 07, 2007 09:09 pm
Whats a temp agency?

a McJob, basically they supply labor to companies that need it, for less wages/benifits from what i understand but since it is impossible to get a job around here... i would really like to know more about them since i start working on an assembly line for one on monday

[Red October]

There was a comrade on here a while ago who worked for one of these...he's now in prison as far as we know for some sort of crime against them.

[which doctor]

Go ahead and join if you really need the job.

[Nothing Human Is Alien]

Yeah, sometimes its the only option. It doesn't make you a scab.. You're not going to be crossing any picket lines right?

Obviously we need to get rid of these things though..

[abbielives!]

there are no picket lines, still the agencies essentally function as creators of surplus labor

[Floyce White]

Red October: "There was a comrade on here a while ago who worked for one of these..."

Wow! There aren't many proletarians using this message board then. I've had about 50 jobs in my life, and a couple of them I got through temp agencies.

[PRC-UTE]

Originally posted by Floyce [email protected] 11, 2007 12:45 am
Red October: "There was a comrade on here a while ago who worked for one of these..."

Wow! There aren't many proletarians using this message board then. I've had about 50 jobs in my life, and a couple of them I got through temp agencies.
No they're aren't many round here. A general ignorance of "ordinary" people pervades this place. Some of those workers even believe in Gawd!!! :o

[Red Heretic]

My understanding was that temp workers are part of the most super exploited and oppressed sections of the proletariat.

[Forward Union]

I am signed up to a temp agency at the moment. I keep getting phonecalls saying "can you work at 'x' for today?" It's really really annoying. I have no idea when they're going to phone and give me a job. And I also don't know what the job will be. I've worked sorting letters, as a secretary, for a roofing company ... etc.

It could be a day when I've made a plans, and then the rest of the week, when I have nothing to do, im sat idol.

It's better than not working because I can get some cash, but its a bit shitty. Unemployment is on the up where I live so you have to grab what you can. It makes it very hard to unionise obviously.

[MarxSchmarx]

Yeah, sometimes its the only option. It doesn't make you a scab.. You're not going to be crossing any picket lines right?


I'm really curious about this one. Has anybody here (or that you know personally) ever worked in a temp agency that made you take a job crossing a picket line? My impression was that temp agencies "give" their workers the "choice" of whether they want to work a particular assignment as a scab.

[Edgar]

Originally posted by Red [email protected] 11, 2007 07:01 am
My understanding was that temp workers are part of the most super exploited and oppressed sections of the proletariat.
It sure feels that way when you're breaking your back shoveling dirt eight hours a day for lousy pay. I've done a lot of temp work lately while I'm looking for a permanent, full-time job. Usually they send me out to warehouses or construction sites. Your body is constantly soar when you work such physical jobs day after day. And the on-site supervisers will often treat you like crap, expecting you to work at the same pace and energy output as their regular employees who are getting paid a heck of a lot more than you.

As for trying to organize temp workers, it would seem a pretty hard thing to do. For one thing, you don't really work with the same people from job to job, so building relationships and solidarity between temp workers would be difficult to say the least.

[Dr Mindbender]

I used to have a very positive experience of one when i worked for the royal mail. It was very regular work so i didnt have to wait for those annoying phone calls Urban spirit was referring to. Usually the regular manager would come and ask us if we wanted a shift the following day which was good. Some agencies will allow you to join the company full time. Its quite a good way to get a regular job if you stick at it because it gives you a foot in past the interview room.