IDENTIDADES 1 ENGLISH IDENTIDADES 7 ENGLISH | Page 27

mands, do volunteer work, purchase
office supplies and, if necessary, clean
the place up, too. In addition, workers’
cafeterias are generally ugly, dark, poorly ventilated and lacking in hygiene.
There are always flies. Furthermore, we
cannot forget that the trays or plates can
also be poorly washed. Generally, food
is served cold, and it is difficult to define
its flavor. I won’t even go into the subject of the personnel in charge of the
food service; they are ill mannered and
look at us with envy. They often make
sure to limit our portions so they can
guarantee some kind of leftover and take
home. This is because that his how employees at worker’s cafeterias and kitchens cover their own basic needs, and
those of their families.
Unions and vacations
To finish up with my details about this
sad state of affairs, I need to mention the
so-called union meetings, which are really nothing more than a joke, and clearly
reveal the servility present in their attitude towards those who run businesses
linked to the government and political
organizations. Workers at these meetings
are informed about what is going to be
discontinued, if regarding benefits, and
what will be added in terms of more
work. Sometimes, commitments made
by leaders to their superiors that only
workers can fulfill become evident. One
must attend these meetings, as they are
obligatory, and pay dues to the union,
and for Territorial Troop Militias
(MTT), which have accumulated so
much money over so many years that
could easily disappear and live off it.

Yet, it continues to be ambitious and
forces all workers to “voluntarily” turn
over to them an entire day’s salary once
a year. If one you don’t pay, there is a
mark on you and your bosses, and even
your coworkers, can harshly question
you. One must also pay a monthly fee to
a union that is never going to defend
your rights nor improve your working
conditions, much less your living conditions. Vacations must be planned by the
end of the year in course, or at the beginning of the next one. But, when it
comes time to enjoy them, one must
await the timely decision the leaders at
your work center make with relation to
the position you occupy. What happens
sometimes is that they say ‘no’ and one
has to wait for a time when they think it
may be possible. Most workers don’t
enjoy their vacation time on the preplanned days. Instead, they save those
days off to deal with health problems,
take care of some bureaucratic issues, or
solve some other urgent problem. In any
event, why take vacation time off, if you
don’t have money with which to enjoy
it? There isn’t even enough money for
having lunch and dinner at home during
one’s vacation. Much less is there
enough for renting a place at a recreation
center, or hotel, or beach house. The
only kind of real vacation there is at all
is for those workers who are the “national avant garde,” people who have the
right to lodge at a recreational center
once a year, and bosses or leaders. No
one else has enough money from their
‘paid’ vacation to even improve their
lives. I have never had a vacation; nei-

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