A day in the life of an agency worker

Insecurity and exploitation

An agency worker

I wake up at 5.30am, throw on the uniform I spent my last pay cheque buying, leave at 6am to arrive at the pick up at 6.30am. If I'm late I risk losing not just one shift, but all future ones.

When I get there I'm informed that I won't be getting the three hours travel pay I was promised for the six hours travelling. Staff hang around, sharing stories of missing pay and 19 hour shifts. We wait for the coach - fortunately only 20 minutes - far less than the hour and a half last time. We finally leave at 7.10am for the three hour journey.

We arrive and it's work on a bar, not the waiting shift I was told about. Still, I learn quickly and keep up till a 20 minute break after seven hours where we are treated to a hot meal. I lose the first five minutes finishing up and rush to the dinner queue. By the time I sit down I have five minutes to eat the food as fast as possible and get back to my workstation. Still, only a few hours left.

At 6.25pm I'm signed off as 6.15pm. I grab my stuff and go to the coach where we wait for all the staff to finish their shifts. Now I have access to my phone I spend the time applying for as many shifts as I can for tomorrow.

Finally at 8pm we set off for the three hour journey back.

Youth Fight for Jobs demands:

Pay us enough to live on
Give us proper contracts
Decent tea and lunch breaks
Stop the bosses' fire-at-will attitude
Build democratic campaigning trade unions
See www.youthfightforjobs.com

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Finance appeal

The coronavirus crisis has laid bare the class character of society in numerous ways. It is making clear to many that it is the working class that keeps society running, not the CEOs of major corporations.

The results of austerity have been graphically demonstrated as public services strain to cope with the crisis.

The government has now ripped up its 'austerity' mantra and turned to policies that not long ago were denounced as socialist. But after the corona crisis, it will try to make the working class pay for it, by trying to claw back what has been given.

The Socialist Party's material is more vital than ever, so we can continue to report from workers who are fighting for better health and safety measures, against layoffs, for adequate staffing levels, etc.
When the health crisis subsides, we must be ready for the stormy events ahead and the need to arm workers' movements with a socialist programme - one which puts the health and needs of humanity before the profits of a few.

Inevitably, during the crisis we have not been able to sell the Socialist and raise funds in the ways we normally would.

We therefore urgently appeal to all our viewers to click here to donate to our Fighting Fund.