CHANGING LABOR LAWS

In recent years there were many changes occurred that affected the labor sector wherein workers were in a quandary on how to go on with their jobs because of changing policies on how to get all the benefits a worker can get. Before, upon landing a job was a sure avenue coupled with continuous service would lead to a full retirement. The rolling wave of change catapulted the strikes of workers against the companies through the labor unions seeking higher pay and better working conditions. Some companies had chosen to close knowing they could no longer continue their operations. The most affected was the auto industry and the government had interfered and a legislation was put into motion that states "an employee can be terminated anytime without cause", This was a Draconian form of legislation that intimidated workers inside the workplace A supervisor was assigned to hire and fire workers. To whom does a worker approach to raise his grievances? The only way to do was to find another job. That happened to Philip who was trying to keep his job. By working temporarily and taking in any work that he could not even thinking whether it would lead him to a permanent position or not. At first he was in the skilled job of cleaning, working in the hotel, He found out that the wage was too small to provide for his family of two so he decided to get another job cleaning offices in the evening. He was assigned to clean the six story building for three hours after his work at the hotel His wife was also a cleaner but an assistant supervisor at the hotel. Each day he would clean one floor from Monday to Saturday to cover the whole building and take a day off for Sunday to be with his family, There was no overtime pay for the extra hours he had worked on Saturday. Philip handled this cleaning job for sometime until he decided to find another skilled job. He thought of moving to the manufacturing industry doing a fulltime night shift job so he could look after his two growing kids while his wife worked at the hotel. Permanent position was uncertain and work benefits were not offered in his job. Many of his friends were telling him to join the auto industry assembling auto parts but hesitated to apply hearing the job was strenuous, workers left because of injuries they had experienced resulting to long sick leave and eventually terminated. The result of the Draconian legislation was caught by other countries around the world that the worst of hiring workers were hired now under contract to work a specific period of time, it maybe a year or two or up to five years depending on the projects they would finished maybe constructing a building a road construction or other infrastructures. Driving around urban areas where tall buildings are being constructed, major highways and construction of railways are big companies to hire contract workers. Not only the ordinary workingman but also professionals are now hired not the continuity of their work but they can stop working anytime they wanted. For professionals at one point the same thing is happening. One example was a practicing physician at a big hospital claimed he was harassed by his colleagues and they even closed his clinic and he knew he could no longer file for his retirement and don't know if he would hire a lawyer to file his claim fearing his wife would be affected also working at the same hospital where he had worked. He wondered why this was done to him while he had a very good record from the hospital where he came from. He also joined fundraising events in the community under the National Association of practicing physicians. What malpractice had he done to his clients were unclear . He lost interest gathering testimonials from his clients fearing they may give contradicting statements. Her medical secretary was nowhere to be found or she might just be hiding from him. He could no longer do what he used to do, going out with his wife can't even do it in public. avoiding rumors what happened to him would be an underground topic. What happen and what will happen is like the sword of Damocles hanging over him. How long will he wait for it to drop? What is the consequence of this unjustifiable stoppage of his work? What branch of the government can he approach to help him? That's one of the effect of the legislation of terminating an employee without cause. Here's another one who was a college instructor who had worked full time at the local college teaching nursing students on health education. She had reached her retirement but she wanted to go back but her health was fast deteriorating, she was not able to control her diabetes and high blood pressure and even her heart failure. How can she claim she was successful in health education when she was not able to manage her own health pinpointing one of her acquaintances who changed from a medical doctor to a Naturapathic Doctor. Before going to that why did this college instructor focus on others not to herself to become a model for others in preserving health, a healthy mind and healthy body. She said she had lost forty pounds and his four doctors who are all specialist in their field of specialization can not give her the right diagnosis why her health is fast deteriorating. She felt so weak that she could no longer walk without using a walker. Where did her strength go? No one could answer her. While waiting at the Emergency Room in the hospital waiting to see a doctor, she said her whole body aches. What causes her pain was not clear and needed to undergo many tests whether in the laboratory, x-ray and ct scanning. or MRI. Retiring with her health condition, was it good for her as a retiree? Health education as her major subject must have been applied to herself before others. While advising her acquaintance to get a lab test which she compared to herself what good was her advice to Leila who's not taking drugs at all but food supplements. Leila left her family doctor ten years ago when she was told that she was on the borderline of her blood sugar or the pre-diabetes stage. She was so scared that she did not go back to him but seek a Naturopathic Doctor and she found one. At the same time she change her food style but first she has to drain the sugar from her body according to her research on the internet and she did that for two months. She lost weight from 130 lbs to 115 pounds. She check her blood sugar before breakfast to get its right level and tried to stay on the 7th level. She didn't like sickness would affect her work at the factory. Besides taking care of his ailing husband. If both of them were sick what will happen to them? Leila cannot decide if she will stop working or continue working but she was happy that she is healthy