11.8.08

Time and Space

It pisses me off really when I tell people where I work and I get "Wah, good good. Iron rice bowl. You should stay there all the way. I wish I worked there". Well seriously, do you even believe your own bullshit?

This is not the 1980s no more. I should know better don't you think, I was born during the 80s. Back then, policemen wore shorts. Not because, there was lack of finance to sew the rest of their pants on but because they didn't really have to worry about hairless legs, upskirt(pants) camera potshots, Aedes and Chikungunya and all other factors that ensure men generally DO wear their pants long. This is unless you are from an all boys' school and wearing your short shorts like berms is in fact the encouraged practice all the way to the day you graduate.

I've been doing alternate day duties for the past 2 months and this is gonna last till the end of this month. I've put off a long deserved 1 week of leave [the take 5 days and get 9 days off in typical 'me' fashion] because of someone else's lack of competency.

A typical weekday shift runs from 1 pm to 8 am [19 hours] the next morning where I get to leave on my needed day off. Getting to leave and pushing off on inertia to actually leave are 2 different things. I'm lucky if I actually feel like leaving before 11. The abundance of "homework" [why I quit school for] has all to do with my inertia. [on a tangent: hameniiiiiiiii inertia in a day?] A weekend shift runs from 8 am to 8 am [24 hours].

So, if I do the 1,3,5,7 routine. I work 19 x 3 + 24 = 81 hours that week.
the 2,4,6 routine lands me 19 x 2 + 24 = 62 hours. Sounds 20 hours less but the shitty part about doing a Saturday duty is that essentially your Friday nights and Sat nights are fucked. And when you get home on a Sunday, all there is to do is sleep in and wait for the entire cycle to kick in come Monday.

I vaguely remember that the entire civil service was gearing towards a "more family time", "no more Saturdays" work week. In fact, I found the particular directive in paper recently. So clear. In bold text and Times New Roman font no less. 45 hour work week spread over 5 working days.

Now I may not have aced my integration or calculus for that matter, but I'd think simple logic and mental sums would indicate that I shouldn't be undergoing this shit for the same fuck all pay. Add to that, the manipulation of this same system into these simple words, "1 day work, 1 day off". Ah, sounds like such a thrill to be in this shift doesn't it? At the end of the day, this is what people use to either brush it under the carpet, convince themselves or convince their pathetic social life that all is good cos I'm "1 day work, 1 day off".

I'm a simple guy with simple pleasures. Pay me more or I'm fucking off. And I seriously couldn't give an emotional fuck about the tatters that will remain once 1 able bodied soul leaves the fray. Simply put, I am not paid to think of all this. More professionally, this consideration and the decision that follows is not within my pay grade, please refer to my superior officer.

Ciao.

2 comments:

Goody said...

Oh wow.i thought i was the only lucky one.
Me stuck in the same shit too. But a teeny bit better off.. my weekdays are 2h shorter than yours (sometimes).

Funny thing is, the very same ppl who say that we have sooo much free time "1 day work, 1 day off", do a quick about-turn and praise normal working hours when they end up in the same shit. No names mentioned.

ah_neh said...

Are you aware of some "white paper" going on to put up to da big chief on how not to waste our time daily?