You have the right to peaceful protest

[Justloadit]

@justloadit - the answer is simple - (as an employee i used to say "If you want loyalty then get a dog" well as an employer this is what I have to say "Nobody moves my cheese, its mine to do with as I please"

Hi Adrian,

I don't want loyalty, I just want you to arrive on time, start work, not go make coffee and talk sh!t for 15 minutes in my time, ensure you keep my place clean, observe the tea and lunch times, do what you are paid to do in a timely manner, make sure it's right first time, and don't F.. up my tools, treat my customers with respect, don't steal my things, and if you f... up, own up and pay me back by working free hours, after all it was your fault for f... it up. Also, please I don't want to know about your problems or your family problems, I have my own family and my own problems.

Am I asking too much?

[adrianh]

Nah, I'm not rubbing your face in anything, we've all had our ups and downs.

[Blurock]

Maybe we should see it from a labourer's perspective.

"Because I do not have any skills to sell, I have to sit at the roadside and wait for someone to stop and offer me a gardener or labourer's job for the day. There are at least 20 other guys sitting around on this spot, so the fastest one to the vehicle is likely to get the job.

Only about 8-10 of us gets picked up every day. We never know before the time where we are going or what type of work we will be doing. We don't know the guy's name or how much we will be paid and sometimes we do not get paid at all. There is no UIF and forget about labour laws or safety regulations.

I have decided to register with a reputable labour broker. He calls me or SMS's me when there is a job available. He tells me beforehand how much I will earn and what the duration of the contract will be. He deducts UIF and has to adhere to all the labour regulations or lose his licence. I know that I will be kept on if I do a good job, because the labour broker loses his reputation and money if he has to replace me because of laziness or incompetence."

I am of the opinion that labour broking is not ideal, but this story should speak for itself.

[MGM]

Demogracy, what democracy? We live in Africa, and the populist will rule. Irrespectable of alternative views.

Democracy will not work in Africa for the foreseeable future. The reason, you need educated and responsible people to be able to do this. You also need a society that accommodates alternative viewpoints. Uneducated people will always be taken for suckers by the few connected elite. This is a fact, and will remain so. Lead SA's slogan "Know your rights, but also your responsibilities" is slowly starting to make a difference. But this is still going to take many years, unfortunately.