Jobseeker’s diary

I promised to tell you more about the rules at the restaurant and I’ll do just that. We are not allowed to chat during working hours. How you’re expected not to talk to people you work with is ridiculous. Personally, there are so many things I need to ask because I’m still relatively new, so there’s no way I’m not going to break that one. No sitting or sleeping during working hours. The sleeping I understand but as for the sitting, who can stay on their feet for the 12 or so hours we’re at work? Did I mention that we work Sunday to Sunday and can only go home after the last customer has left, which is usually after 10p.m.? Of course there’s no staff van to take us home or at least to the taxi/bus stop by which time, most public transport providers have retired anyway. Taking a motor every night is expensive. I know because I took one the first few days and realized if I kept doing that, I wouldn’t have any money to spend on other things and so now I just walk. The good thing is that a couple of guys I work with live in the same area I do so we walk home together. But it’s tough, especially because we work such long hours. It’s for that reason that I asked the supervisor to negotiate a deal for me. See, he’s the one who talks to the “big bosses” on our behalf. We are not given transport to and from work so I requested to be given part of my salary to use for transport. I was told one can only be paid at the end of the month. The salary by the way is nothing to write home about. In fact, I noticed that some items on the menu cost a lot more than my salary. Speaking of the menu, like Linah promised, we do get lunch, the only good thing here so far. Good in the sense that at least I don’t have to spend on lunch. But the said lunch is lacking in many ways. Because it’s a restaurant, a Chinese restaurant at that, I had thought that we would at least get to eat nice meals. However, I quickly found out that that wasn’t the case. We eat fried Irish potatoes every single day. No salad, no sauce and certainly no beef. Even boarding school is much better because at least there, you get to eat different kinds of food every other day. Just imagine serving sizzling beef or liver and that spiced rice whose aroma tantalizes your every sense and then going to your plain potatoes? It’s like asking the maid to prepare chicken for the family and then telling her to eat beans! No wonder they steal the food when cooking. It’s torture. Many times, I’ve been tempted to pick customers’ plates. I can see you frowning but you don’t know how bad it gets until you’re tested the way we are everyday. But the most disturbing rule so far is the one against taking tips. “If you’re given a tip, you’re to hand it over to the supervisor. If you’re caught with undeclared tips, a disciplinary action awaits you.” I asked a few staff at lunch to honestly tell me if they would handover their tips just like that. We all laughed and I openly stated that if I was tipped when no one was looking, I would pocket the money. Problem is I don’t have a bag. Perhaps I should buy pants or skirts with pockets for that purpose. To be continued … nsophie77@yahoo.com