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THERE IS A vast, empty expanse of floor, broken by ranks of metal pillars. Under the ceiling high above is a tangle of vents and pipes. There is a soft roar of air conditioning. From a walled-off enclave at the back of the hangar-like concrete emptiness comes a sound of ticking and clicking, punctuated by beeps.
A year ago, this whole floor was full of machinery and workers. In another year, it will be full again, of other machines and other workers, making different products. Behind the chest-high wall at the back is our assembly line, and it was there a year ago, and it will be there a year from now. We sit in rows of five dressed in bright blue smocks at work benches covered in blue matting. We are assembling, labelling and scanning. Most of us were not here a year ago and most of us will not be here a year from now.
Gap between expectation and reality
In hotels, fast food and restaurants, the customer is always right. In this factory, The Customer is always right. I work for three companies at once. One hires and pays me, a second owns and runs the factory, and a third owns the products I build. This third company is known as The Customer.
Every week, The Customer makes an order – anything from 25,000 to 85,000 products. The Customer wants them all built by Friday, with no “quality issues” (mistakes) whatsoever. The whole business is based on the idea that it is perfectly reasonable for The Customer to expect these things. The gap between expectation and reality is covered at our expense.
Precarious, poorly paid work
When The Customer is not so hungry and times are quiet, a dozen or so of us temps get “the call” from the recruitment agency. When (and if) they’ll be back is anyone’s guess. They go down to the dole office, and if they get a cent off the social, it’s not until weeks later.
When times are busy, then we get 10-hour days and six-day weeks. The overtime is compulsory, and the rate is desperate. Times like these roll around and the mood gets grim. The hours stretch out ahead with a miserable vastness. The grinding traffic adds an hour each side of the working day. The pay cheques come, and they’re not a whole lot less skinny than usual.
Sitting on the line, people turn to grumbling. “There’s just a lack of respect,” someone says. “They treat us like we’re at school,” says another. Someone exaggerates: “It feels like prison. Only you don’t have to commute to prison every day.” Philosophically but crudely, a young country lad declares, “’tis c***ish”.
Disposable
The products flow past us at a rate of over a thousand per work-station, per day, and sell for around a grand each. We get around €70 each a day, before tax. Meanwhile, some wealthy shareholders who we will never see get significantly richer for doing absolutely nothing. For us, who are doing the actual work, there is none of the consideration that is shown to The Customer. We are disposable.
In other ways, it’s soft enough. The work is clean, and it doesn’t wear you out. In this place, never once have I had to mop up urine, on the hour, every hour, from a leak management never get around to fixing. One lad was working on building sites in England last year and in comparison this place is a dream.
A young migrant woman, before she came here, was used to being bullied by the tyrannical owner of a cute cafe-bakery every day, begging for short breaks and sucking up to rude customers. There’s none of that here.
Trying to keep spirits up
What’s not easy is saving and paying the rent. Keeping your spirits up through a long month of mounting overtime is a battle. So is being sent home for three, four, five weeks, running out of money and wondering will you ever get called back in. Seeing 10 temps sent home on a Friday, and then seeing 10 new temps starting the next Monday, is a kick in the head.
Some poor souls seem to get the call every time, in spite of being good workers, while others seem to be bullet-proof. One Friday, a lad got the call, just like the time before and the time before, and he took it as final evidence that somebody high-up had it in for him. He drove off down the hill at the end of that day blasting the car horn.
A higher-up who’d lectured us on honking the horns in the industrial estate appeared from inside the factory to glare down the road with a dry look on his face, trying to identify the offender. But the offender had vanished into the gleaming lines of traffic, and he was never coming back.
The author, a factory worker, has asked to remain anonymous.
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You have respect anyone that works in a factory. We wouldn’t have much of anything without these people. I think everyone needs to work on a factory floor to see the work they do. I work in sales and when we are busy I go out on the factory floor to give a hand. The time can be long the work tedious. You get to know and respect the work these people put In. They are horses for courses, but I believe you have to be a certain type of person to work in a factory, a content person in their own mind, a person who is happy gets & on with there job. So hats off to them.
Sounds like heaven to most farmers, working seven days a week in all weathers for a lot less than the minimum wage in many cases.
Imagine, clean and dry, no dangers, getting paid every week and a day off now and again!
You can go crazy in these places with the noise, silence is literally golden once you get out but the shudders come when thinking about your return
Ray that’s the most condescending load of s***e I’ve ever read. How dare you look down your nose at anyone. That’s exactly what your doing btw and your the worst type. You don’t even realise your doing it.
I agree John, it mentioned the extremely high turnover in this type of job and the poor treatment the majority of these workers recieve from agencies most of these workers have hihher aspirations and hate their environment and would prefer to be in a job with a future and not to be thought of as a ‘content person in their own mind’ whatever the hell Ray thinks that is!
Difference is that the factory worker can’t go to the dole for the big ‘factory worker’ top up scheme like the farmers can, and they can’t get paid by the government to stand on the line and do nothing either.
Sounds exactly like my last two jobs. So i went back to education and changed careers and all the while adding new members to the family. Hint hint.
work is a bitch
Indeed. They get you out bed early on a Sunday to peddle your blueshirt propaganda.
Why does everything have to turn into an anti government rant? Because you’ve nothing else in your life but populist complaining? leave the politics to politics stories please and maybe normal people wouldn’t be so sick of you
Colin,
Open your eyes please. This article is about the most fundamental aspect of the politics, that is the battle between capital and labour. The blueshirts and now the Labour party stand firmly on the side of the capital and against the interests of the vast majority of the population. Ditto for FF.
One of the reasons that capital has made so many gains against the working class over the past few decades is that large sections of labour class are entirely unaware that there is an economic class war being waged against them. You’re a good example of this lack of awareness.
Lemme get this right…the factory is making blue shirts for poor people to wear?
Worked in three different factories all my working life. Good wages, set hours, well paid overtime, bonuses, paid VHI in two of them . Unionised, protected. Very hard work (imagine)!, but you leave your work at the door when you clock out. Educated my family on it and when I started to get too old for it I did a few courses and got an office job in the same company. Just keep looking, it’s all about the glass being half full.
jesus coddler change the record will ya. you seem to be incapable of reading anything without bringing in a conspiracy about FG/ Lab and the capitalists. you are a classic case that when the only tool you have is a hammer everything starts to look like a nail.
Ahhh Sweet Jaysus,he’s here on a Sunday as well..ffs…
Factories aren’t like that anymore Barbara. We’re all disposable, and treated as such. I always worked in factories but the last 2 years alone have seen massive change. It’s all greed, wages rubbish, targets driven up but it’s your job on the line if u make a mistake – and god forbid you should ever need a day off.
Relax Declan. I’m off to the match in Thurles now so you’ll have the place to yourselves today.
I’d have to respectfully disagree… like the above commenter, I’ve worked in the same factory for the last 6 years, permanent, busy, set hours, vhi paid, decent enough pay… ok I’m never going to get rich from it, the work is boring but it’s easy and clean… all in all I’m happy enough, guess I’m one of the lucky ones
I presume Coddler you’ll be cheering on whoever isn’t wearing a blue shirt?
I’m sorry that’s your experience Kath, but I still work for the same company, they’re not all like that, of course I realise we are all just numbers at the end of the day, but that is the case in most jobs I would imagine.
The majority of the American companies in Galway, medical device companies, non Union. Very Llttle overtime if any, not protected, three month contracts.
Yes, and so badly paid they can’t get staff? Or the kind of places that have queues waiting to work for them?
Not to sound condescending…. but work is work and not many people enjoy it. I am assuming you are all on zero contract hours and that is how you boss is able to use you at his disposal? Unfortunately these factory jobs tend to be low skilled and therefore low wages and very competitive to get into. This is because (and don’t get mad at me for saying this) they do tend to be far easier than other low skill, low paid jobs. I know it’s boring sitting on an assembly line but what I am sure people stacking shelves all day/night, doing manual labour on a building site or cleaning bathrooms in hotels would much prefer (coming from someone who has done all those jobs bar the manual labour one!)
The author already made this point? Did you read the whole article?
I did read the whole article and he does state in some ways the job is soft. But all this article is, is a man stating how horrible his job is. What I was trying to get across is that for a low skilled job (same as a fast food worker, cleaner, waitress ) it is probably one of the best. He admits that. I don’t the point of his complaining as long as there are no laws being broken, he is being paid at least minimum wage and has a safe working enviroment. If he hates his job that much then be needs to upskill or get a certificate/ diploma in something else. These sort of jobs are not nice but someone has to do them and this tends to be people unsuitable for other, more skilled jobs. If the author is not currently trying to upskill and improve his chances of getting a job he would prefer then he need to stop moaning.
Upskilling is easier said than done . If he finds it hard to live on 70 euro a day then how could he manage on 188 back to education allowance ? Some people already have children so taking years out for education is not practical. Night classes are expensive too when your on a low income and that income is uncertain. I upskilled. With young children it mean I had to work and study at the same time and it was expensive often . I had the drive for a degree but it was a huge commitment. Studying with a packed noisy house was often impossible. It’s not as easy as just ” upskilling” . Especially if you are here say from Eastern Europe and English isn’t your first language. That said I did factory work canteen work retail work . I did them all. I had to. Respect wasn’t often given even if you were a hard worker . Times for low paid workers are getting harder. No security ( as in a basic fixed contract ) no benefits and no chance for promotion . It’s impractical to say to ever low paid worker to upskill anyway . Someone has to do these jobs . We should do away with zero hour contracts and give these people some idea that they are not disposable at the very least.
How do you know the author is a “he”? It could be a woman.
@Catherine at 70€ a day and that counts overtime and before tax, i would call that exploitation.
Yep it could be a she . My apologies . I did assume .
Agree with most of what you say Catherine, but a bit sexist to assume it was a man who wrote it.
You can’t earn much less than €70 a day including overtime. Minimum wage is €8.65, over 8 hours that’s €69.20. Earning €70 a day ‘including overtime would equate to an unlikely four and a half minutes overtime at time and a quarter.
So, if anyone is on the minimum wage plus even half an hour’s overtime, they are on more than €70 a day.
Just sayin….
Well Catherine I reeducated with FAS with one teenager and a baby to care for, after a year there I did an internship for 9 months and added another baby to the mix. So that is almost 2 years on practically no money so it can be done.
What You don’t understand or you won’t understand is that people which usually work there (include me in!) are from foreign countries and are usually striving for a better position, not because they’re dreamers, but because they have experience and education for it! I was regional manager for twelve years for one of the largest, privately held importing company in the US, but since the prices in my homeland (Croatia) skyrocketed, I’ve had to relocate to Ireland with my (well educated) wife and two kids and every work we get is-General operative. Imagine that. Despite our knowledge, previous experience and education, even connections from which one could benefit greatly if he/she would just try to read our cv’s and recommendations. But my wife is better off packing and I’m better off too, staying for eleven to twelve hours despite everything we know. It’s not about education, it’s about labor that Ireland doesn’t have, and God forbid that Irishmen would work that job for 9,15€ per hour. :)
If you’re not learning new skills to better your situation there’s no point in complaining.
factory owners don’t care about staff or their conditions. . they care about profit.. That’s capitalism for ya.. it sucks to be on the bottom.
Not all factory owners are like that.
And not all factories are like the one described above.
Blueshirt propaganda? Are you for real? I’m sorry if you believe that everyone should love love love their jobs and be paid brilliant wages for it. The reality is a lot of people don’t like their jobs, especially low paid jobs. But someone has to do them. They tend to be low skilled and so demand low wages. People might not like them but may not be qualified to do other jobs. When you get experience, education and skills you tend to get better paid jobs with more security. To be honest, a lot of people still don’t like going into work then. But people have to work so do. That’s the way the economy works.
This was meant to be a reply for Coddler Rooney.
Catherine,
I would guess that many of those “low skilled” workers that you patronize would manage to find the correct Reply button under the comment they intended to respond to. Just a thought.
I’m sorry that by using my phone my finger slipped and pressed the wrong button if that offends you so much. maybe you could address some of my points as opposed to making b1tchy comments? And just so you are aware I am currently working in a minimum wage job just scraping by. I know it is tough first hand. But I am also studying and trying to upskill. I work over 40 hours a week and spend my evenings and weekends studying. I hope to be in a position to get a better , higher paying job in a year or 2. I don’t expect one to be hand to me. And could you please enlighten me as to what I should refer to workers with no qualifications or trade that have very limited work experience if not low skilled? I am not trying to be patronizing but if that sort of worker is not low skilled then what sort is?
You can just call them wokers Catherine. How much exploitation of these workers do you think is acceptable?
I have worked at numerous jobs through my life but factory work was the worst. The boredom gets to you so you think of ways to escape…..
Hard work ain’t easy.
Shouting upskill at the author is not helpful and only addresses one part of the issue. Yes if the person has the means the talent the intelligence they make be able to upskill. There are some who may never be able to. What about the main issues of low pay , insecure employment , never knowing how many hours you will have from one week to the next and worrying about making rent. Is it the case that people at the lowest rung of the employment ladder don’t deserve any better ? Someone has to fill these jobs . We need unskilled workers. Why do we as a society think it’s ok to treat them with such disrespect ? Factory work may always have been boring but you used to be employed directly not by a recruitment agency. You usually became a permanent employee after a short probationary period. You had set hours with pay increases. You could get a mortgage raise children on a factory job and you often had benefits. That’s all disappearing and it’s all in the name of profit. No unions allowed in most of these places too and instead of addressing these issues as a society we ” blame ” the workers ? Yeah that’s great isn’t it.
On back to education you are also allowed to work and earn up to 20k a year. That’s on top of keeping existing benefits. When I( was in college I worked in pubs, but also factories like the one above all the way through summer. 3×12 hour shifts and you had the other 4 days off. It was mind numbing working in stores, but on the up side I had to walk a lot as the stores were massive.
They changes this Pontius, it’s means tested now.
really hard work in a factory if your five min late they stop fifteen from your wages everyone should do even a week it puts ones ambitions into perspective ‘
85,000 products per week selling at €1000 each? Some factory.
No work is not a bitch. It’s the treatment if staff by faceless millionaires who don’t give a sh!t how the workers are treated. That will be Enda’s legacy.
Whats this got to do with Enda? Does he run/own the factory? Was this factory not around before Enda? and long before previous governments?
We live in a capitalist society. If you want the government to take over factories and change how they are run then I suggest Cuba, or China.
The labor laws in this country are a disgrace. It’s too easy for wealthy corporations to sack people to save money. It’s the complete opposite in Germany, the manufacturing capital of Europe.
What a horrible life. I hope they can enjoy life outside of the kip they work in and can get themselves out of the rut. All the Irish thickos that come out with that owl classic – you are lucky to have a job !!! Yes if it’s well paid and the conditions are good and you can retire early with a massive lump :)
The article defined how the corporation pays less tax, by selling the raw materials to the Irish arm and purchasing the built products back. Using agency staff means no expensive overheads like life/health insurance and rolling 11 month contracts with a 6 month gap prevents the need to pay redundancy. It’s a sad system for employees as no job security and therefore loans or mortgages are unavailable. I’ve been in this position before and it can be soul destroying.
and the point of this article?
“Meanwhile, some wealthy shareholders who we will never see get significantly richer for doing absolutely nothing.” Doing nothing except providing capital for the business to function at their own risk. The author has a frightingly poor understanding of how businesses work.
Correct, if these millionaires pulled out then there would be no work, and there would be a lot ore complaints. People can look for a new job if they don’t like it. They can upskill (For free) if they want to.
Most aren’t even millionaires. If someone puts their life savings into a company then why shouldn’t they make a return on that.
I work in a factory, I’m there 9 years now, me and another girl, out of over 30 men, we are the only 2 full time girls in the factory, money very good like my job, it’s the people you work with can be a task, it’s long hours but I’m in it for the money nothin else, A nice holiday at the end of the year,
I’d like to see the author work for a little while in a call centre and come back here with a follow-up report.
I’ve seen factory workers of many years unable to last a fortnight in call centres.
First world problems. Not exactly an undercover expose of some sweatshop deathtrap. ‘We were made do an easy job for 400 Euro a week’. Call Amnesty.
Exactly if you don’t like your job, change it!
It’s a popular right wing trope that if people are poor they should stop being poor, but the thing is, stuff doesn’t make itself and someone has to do the low level assembly work. Everyone can’t get a job as a consultant for Irish Water.
I’d assume overtime is time and a half, and even if it’s minimum wage it’s within the law.
As for a wealthy shareholder getting richer because of their work…… It’s called business!
I thought thats why Enda and Co were inviting all these economic migrants to Ireland to provide cheap labour for his rich backers.
It beats living in a mud hut in the middle of a desert?
Explain please Cyril, the exact process of coming ot Ireland from a mud hut? because people form Third world countries have no right to come to Ireland whatsoever unless they come as refugees who cannot legally work anyway.
So your point is null. People can come from the EU but these are Europeans, and generally add to the economy overall.
I have worked under similar circumstances but not in a factory setting,Agency zero hour contracts flat rate of pay regardless if you work shift or OT /Sunday’s. working on a day to day basis not knowing if you have work for the following day waiting to get a call etc.. Getting phone calls at mad o clock to go to work because someone phoned in sick etc,Thankfully I was able to up skill at my own expense and get something a bit better. Since the crash of 08 certain employers have being using the crash as an excuse to slash wages and T&C for employees,I know of one company who made the full time staff redundant and replace them with agency staff.
Sorry if I am wrong are not most of the refugees here to make money and have mostly come here illegally trough the back door the UK. I am not talking about the 8 that came in on the Ethiopian airline they came legally but had just happened to lose their documents on the plane. So happy days for the rich cheap labour on tap.
How much did you drink and what pub did you go to, lol.
So the Troika is trying to lower wages by getting those who employ people to get rid of them so these companies get a recruitment company to outsource their workers which ends up costing companies more money for these people. They pay these companies to have people on their books and the more people the better but it means that everyone who is employed by them only has a few days in a month of work instead of a normal working week.
Please tell me why do companies do this nonsense?
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