quelle/essen (1)
text in german
From the hotlines-leaflet no. 1 on working hours (October 2000):
Swelling Working Hours
I work in the order department of the Quelle GmbH call center in
Essen, together will about 300 workers. Others work in customer
services (complaints, accounts, exchange).
The call center is open from Monday till Saturday, 7 a.m. till 10 p.m., like those in Cologne,
Mainz, Padborg and the main one in Nuremberg-Fuerth. The workers in Leipzig, Magdeburg, Chemnitz and Cottbus (eastern Germany) also work night shifts. They earn even less than us. We get 15,40 DM before tax
as full timers and 14,40 DM as part timers - apart from those who have
contracts with the old Quelle AG. They get about one third more.
We have always changing shifts. Sometimes we have to work till 10 p.m.
and then shall be friendly again at 8 a.m. next morning. With a smile
on our lips. While we are up to our ears in work. Overtime is the
norm, without supplements! And about 150 lucky workers have to turn up
Saturdays - again without supplements. We do not get a penny for our
lunch break either. And in order to take a paid break from screen work
we have to hunt for the ladybird: each team has one ladybird and only
with that one in your hand you are allowed to take a break.
Furthermore, we are asked to come half an hour before the shift starts
in order to quickly read the new instructions on the intranet! Without
payment. And they have not even paid us the whole wage for the
training period!
The management does not permit taking holidays, the monitors are flickering, our backs hurt and we are asked to stay flexible and allow our ears to be chewn off. First of all we should
fight for breaks, whenever we need them!
Time to stand up at Quelle!
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