May '08

It is May 6th, I am home sick and thoughts are going through my head.
Thoughts like this:

I'm working at a magazine that accompanies the Sunday issue of a newspaper. In order to run a good weekly magazine, you have to have at least 7-8 people working for you. That means (I'll be nice here) someone to run the place, someone to help that person run the place (and split responsibilities, so that when one is not there the other can replace them), one photo editor, one person to correct the texts, put them on paper, gather everything etc., and about 6-7 (I'll say) people to be running around the city, doing stories. And one person to be doing all the dirty work, like standard paid-for columns, agendas and stuff.
At our magazine, we have ONE person to run the place, one photo editor, one guy to collect stuff (period) and 3 people to be running around the city doing stories, and one to do the paid-for columns.
Do the math: half of the people needed to write, half of the people needed to run the place. If you add to that math that the person running the place, is, well... constantly running around places, not at work, but, say, lunches, dinners, trips here and there, gone for days etc., this should leave you with a quite accurate image of things at my place of work.

Some time ago things were a little bit different. There were 4 kids, still at school, working at the magazine. They weren't getting paid, but doing a lot of work. It also wasn't work that could just be published, without being worked through by us first. But it was work done and load off our backs.
Those kids were made to stop about a month ago, because the business felt they might sue for working without pay. Now, I'm all against working without pay. I believe that, if you work, you should get paid, no matter what. Sadly, in Greece this happens. They'll take you, say "you'll practice for 2, 3, 6 months without pay, and then we'll see", keep you this way for years and then call you an ingrate and point a finger at you when you ask for your money or take them to court. But, also, you can't have a magazine operating with half the people needed, have high expectations, yell every week saying "how did E have this story and we couldn't?" when E has 25 people working there for the same amount of work.

It just so happened that I'm sick. I've been sick since Friday, I really can't go to work, and, honestly, I won't get up in the condition I'm in and take my butt down there to work, for a business that's treated me like a chair, taking me from where I had been working for 10 years and making me do something completely different for 2 months, only to move me from there again and place me somewhere else, like my work meant absolutely nothing to anyone. I have had no respect, I have had my contract violated multiple times, I was working there for 3 years without pay, I decided not to take them to court for I don't even know what reason any more, but jeopardise my health (and my sanity) for nothing, I will not do.

That said, I got a call this morning. The person who runs the place: "Hi. Still sick?", Me: "Yes", Person: "Well, make sure you're not sick tomorrow, 'cause I'll be gone for two days, going somewhere-i-dont-give-a-shit and I need you to replace me", Me: "You need someone to be replacing you in general, I don't do that (a whole pay thing)", Person: "I need it to be you, so make sure you are here", Me: "I can't control it, if I'm OK I'll be there but if I'm not, sorry, can't help it, I will not die for anyone", Person: "Well, if you die, I'll bring you beautiful flowers at your funeral".

I think being someone who refuses to officially make someone else your replacement, fearing that one day they'll conspire to steal your job (like you've done in the past) is, whatever, you right, your stupidity, your burden to bear. But this behavior is downright unacceptable, completely outside the boundaries of good work fellowship and should be comdemned. At the very least.