I live in a small town with many large-scale farms lying in the outskirts. Formal jobs are few and far in between. As such, almost fifty percent of the dwellers rely on informal jobs. These jobs include farming on land, cleaning, and taking care of livestock. Such jobs are important to keep the small economy running and this attracts many people looking for jobs. Like all jobs, they have their downsides.
First, the influx of new workers makes it hard for old workers to secure better pay. The employers are aware of the despair of the workers. They are few alternatives and people have to eat, and will thus, take a meagre pay. The employers might take it too far by extending the working hours without proportionately adjusting the pay. The workers will not oppose this, as any resistance from them will be met with an immediate termination. My home town is a few miles from here and half a day’s pay there, is a full day’s pay in this town. Long working hours and reduced pay are major injustices.
Sexual exploitation is also a hidden injustice. Most of the wealthy farm and business owners happen to be men. They also entrust the jobs of management to men. Sexual exploitation sets in as their lack of laws to protect workers. As such, workers willing to secure jobs in such businesses have to put up with unwanted sexual advances from managers and owners. As such, most of these places employ young women who end up bearing the blunt of sexual exploitation.
Casual workers also deal with horrible working conditions. Most times, the workers are not given protective gear while handling chemicals. The workers have to buy their own gumboots, overalls, and googles. They are also not entitled to food or drinks while working. Mind you, some work from morning to night. I had a friend work for three hundred shillings a day at a hotel. Any foods eaten would be deducted from the pay. They had to report to work at six in the morning and leave at 9 pm.
Its also common for employers to withhold pay for weeks and months. I have this friend working for a popular milk farm in the area. She holds the position of a lab technologist and has been with the farm for close to a year. She earns thirty thousand but she only received the full salary for the first four months. The salary arrears have accumulated but the employer shows no willingness to clear them. She might receive some small amounts on weekends which never amounts to much. She is afraid of leaving the hob as she might never recover the arrears. Most of her colleagues have since resigned, tired of waiting for their arrears to be paid. Most have contacted lawyers and their cases are still dragging in court. The owner of the farm is reputed to be quite wealthy and spend most of his time overseas, thriving on the unpaid labour of the many workers who flock the small town looking for work. Such is the sad reality of the casual workers in many towns.
