Restaurant workers file.. Low wages and long hours: bad treatment ends with a foreign alternative

[size=52]Restaurant workers file.. Low wages and long hours: bad treatment ends with a foreign alternative[/size]

[size=45]Investigation / Hussein Hatem[/size]
[size=45]Mohsen speaks to (Al Mada), with a clear tone of despair on his face: “Most restaurants have increased their working hours from 10 hours to more than this time by an hour or two, and we are powerless,” adding: “The unemployment is widespread in ranks of young people, especially graduates, and we are forced to do this long work with low wages.” Mohsen, who comes from Nasiriyah Governorate (southern Iraq), adds: “I receive a monthly salary of 600,000 dinars, which is of course not enough for me. I have a family (wife and children) in Nasiriyah, and I have to go to them, with the expenses,” adding, “There are financial obligations waiting for me every month. Many: house rent, electricity, generator, and internet bills, doctors, and more.[/size]
[size=45]No social security and no work contracts![/size]
[size=45]Mohsen does not have social security or a contract between him and the restaurant in which he works. He says: “I do not rule out my expulsion at any time. The owners of the restaurant are moody and do not think about workers’ rights. If the owner of the restaurant feels that his daily income is starting to decline, the first thing he does is to reduce the staff.” Mohsen says with a sigh: "I always miss my family, but I don't have a vacation or a break to visit them, I only have two days a month, and fatigue has taken me a lot, so I can't travel to them on all the holidays I get." The young Nasserite is not the only one who works for up to 12 hours with such wages. There are thousands of workers in the field of restaurants, cafes and cafes whose living conditions have forced them to work for unremunerative money. Unofficial sources estimate the number of restaurant and cafe workers in Iraq at more than 1.5 million workers. Haider Hisham, a lounge worker in a Baghdad restaurant, says: “If I had a government job with a monthly salary of 250 thousand Iraqi dinars, I would not find me working here.”[/size]
[size=45]A bad experience[/size]
[size=45]And about his bad experience, the twenty-year-old explains, “Since the beginning of the outbreak of Corona in Iraq, and when restaurants were closed, and then she returned to work by selling (traveling) only and closing the halls, I was the first to be expelled from the restaurant.” Hisham continues, "The owner of the restaurant did not think for a moment about my living situation and that I am a university student and need to work. Their interests are above all, and when we criticize them, they tell us: criticize the government!" Regarding his current work, Hisham, who graduated from the University of Baghdad last year, explains, “It is no different from my previous place of work. All employers treat us as if they are our owners, and whoever refuses their orders is the loser for them.” For his part, Ali Daoud, a delivery worker in a restaurant in the Zayouna area in Baghdad, says that “the delivery work in Iraq is very annoying and exhausting, and exposed to all risks.” Daoud added to Al-Mada, "We are prohibited from crossing the checkpoints on most days of the week, and we are forced to enter branches and labyrinths to deliver customers' orders." He continues by saying:[/size]
[size=45]Among the difficulties that Daoud faces is waiting for the customer for a long time, as well as turning off the customer’s phone when the request arrives or the lack of response, which forces him to return the order to the restaurant after suffering with crowds and roads.[/size]
[size=45]"Delivery" workers... Risks without guarantees![/size]
[size=45]And the delivery worker added, “The owner of the restaurant, since my first day at work, handed me a motorcycle to deliver orders, and he forced me to sign a document releasing his responsibility in the event of any accident, and holding me fully responsible.” Daoud continues, saying: “I do not remember that the restaurant in which I worked offered me a salary bonus. On the contrary, they look at the delivery workers as if they were merchants as a result of receiving tips from some customers!” For his part, Muhammad Khalil, a worker in charge of the cashier, says that “there are many difficulties that face our work and in all the restaurants I worked in.”[/size]
[size=45]“Expulsion” .. the easiest way to avoid problems[/size]
[size=45]Khalil, a university graduate, added, “Employers find the decision to lay off the worker is the easiest way to resolve any problem, while taking away a lot of the worker’s wages, or the reason may be the worker himself for not having skills and experience in restaurant work.”[/size]
[size=45]The young Al-Baghdadi continues his talk to (Al-Mada), saying: “Some restaurants provide lodgings inside or near the workplace for those who wish, especially for workers coming from other governorates,” noting that “working hours range from 12 to 13 hours.” Khalil points out that “the age groups of workers range from 18 to 30 years old,” noting that “employers differ in their dealings from one restaurant to another, and most have a very bad style that looks at the worker with contempt.”[/size]
[size=45]Foreign workers expand the circle of the unemployed[/size]
[size=45]The cashier worker believes, "Foreign labor greatly affected job opportunities for Iraqi youth, and increased the rates of the unemployed among them, as restaurant owners attract foreign workers by giving them low wages that the Iraqi worker does not accept."[/size]
[size=45]Khalil is forced to stay extra hours most days in order to take stock of accounts and receipts, and continues by saying, “Sometimes the owner of the restaurant gives rewards to all the staff during holidays and occasions.” Khalil criticizes the government for not providing a job opportunity that meets his ambitions and in his field of specialization, continuing his speech, "We are threatened with dismissal at any moment, and there is no contract or social security salary in that case that would be an alternative for us."[/size]
[size=45]Financial differences![/size]
[size=45]Chef Taha Al-Alaq says in an interview with (Al-Mada), that “the workers’ salaries vary from one worker to another and from one restaurant to another: the cleaners, most of whom are foreign workers, receive 500 thousand Iraqi dinars, the waiter earns approximately 600 thousand Iraqi dinars, the captain of the hall is 750 One thousand Iraqi dinars, the cashier in the morning and evening shift systems is 550 thousand Iraqi dinars, the manager of the halls is 850 thousand Iraqi dinars, and the delivery worker is 500 to 600 thousand Iraqi dinars.[/size]
[size=45]No vacations![/size]
[size=45]With regard to the leave system, Al-Alaq shows that “the leave is every two weeks or more because there is no alternative for the worker.”[/size]
[size=45]The suffering of restaurant workers is not limited to the issue of salary and time. There are violations of laws that preserve their rights; The Labor Law stipulates, in Article 67, that the daily working hours shall not exceed (8) hours per day or (48) hours per week, with some minor exceptions, and Article 70 stipulates that the worker is entitled to a weekly rest of not less than For (24) continuous hours with paid wages, and Article (80) gives him (30) days of leave per year in the event of his illness. But what is currently happening is that most workers work in restaurants, whether luxurious or popular, without a weekly rest holiday, which workers in those restaurants see as unfair to them and their rights, without the possibility of complaining to the official authorities. For his part, the owner of a restaurant in Baghdad says, “Not all restaurant owners deal in the same way, although most of them neglect the worker’s right, who is a university degree holder in most cases.” The owner of the restaurant, who refused to reveal his name, added to (Al-Mada), that “the worker who does not adhere to the time and does not perform his work properly and causes us problems, we do not have to keep him at work,” noting that “he is forced to dismiss the worker for these reasons in order to preserve the reputation of the restaurant.” He added, "Dozens of job applications are received daily from male and female workers, some of whom are skilled," noting that "he does not face a problem from having to stop one of the workers because there are other workers waiting to find a location for them." The owner of the restaurant continued: “Sometimes the work is so perilous that the worker cannot last more than a few months; Therefore, we often have to replace our cadres from time to time.” He added, "Dozens of job applications are received daily from male and female workers, some of whom are skilled," noting that "he does not face a problem from having to stop one of the workers because there are other workers waiting to find a location for them." The owner of the restaurant continued: “Sometimes the work is so perilous that the worker cannot last more than a few months; Therefore, we often have to replace our cadres from time to time.” He added, "Dozens of job applications are received daily from male and female workers, some of whom are skilled," noting that "he does not face a problem from having to stop one of the workers because there are other workers waiting to find a location for them." The owner of the restaurant continued: “Sometimes the work is so perilous that the worker cannot last more than a few months; Therefore, we often have to replace our cadres from time to time.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained that "work wages are at the same level in most places," noting that "the labor market is the one that imposes this level of wages, and it is not the restaurant that determines it." The owner of the restaurant went on to say, “The workers’ food and accommodation is at the restaurant’s expense; Because most of them come from other governorates to work, and they have nowhere to stay.”[/size]
[size=45]enslave aliens![/size]
[size=45]In addition, (Al-Mada) met with some foreign workers, as Mujib Nazim - a Bangladeshi worker who bears a pseudonym given to him by the owner of the restaurant - says with a spontaneous smile and a broken Iraqi accent, “The difficult economic conditions in my country forced me to travel to Iraq despite the conditions.” Unstable security, but here are many job opportunities, especially in restaurants, hotels and hospitals.” Nazim adds that he has been in Iraq for about 6 years, as I got used to the Iraqi dialect and learned a lot of its vocabulary. The Bangladeshi continues, “The beginning of our coming to Iraq was very difficult; Because of the security services’ follow-up to all foreigners entering the country, in addition to the Iraqi society’s lack of acceptance of foreign workers, but after time the situation improved and we saw polarization by employers and traders.”[/size]
[size=45]Among the most prominent nationalities working in Iraq are Syrians, Lebanese, Sudanese, Egyptians, Bengali and Africans, most of whom work in shopping centers, restaurants, hotels, hospitals, grocery stores, and construction companies. As for Qusai Nuaisa, a Syrian worker in a Baghdad restaurant, he told Al-Mada that "most Iraqi restaurants seek to bring in the best Syrian and Lebanese workers who are skilled in making appetizers and Levantine dishes."[/size]
[size=45]After about two years of working in Baghdad restaurants, Naisa earns $750, but the security complications still concern him, as he is constantly called to check his residency, with some questions about his status, place of residence and his relations, as he puts it.[/size]
[size=45]For every alternate[/size]
[size=45]Taif Karim, a young Karbalai who left his job in a Baghdad restaurant because his employer did not improve his salary, spoke to (Al Mada), saying, “Working wages are low compared to the difficult living conditions, in addition to the long working hours, and the absence of parties defending the rights of the class. working woman; All of this encouraged employers not to hire locals and to resort to foreigners.”[/size]
[size=45]Karim added, "Many workers do not receive sufficient wages, which range between 15 and 20 thousand Iraqi dinars, wages that are not sufficient for the living requirements of any Iraqi family, which pays an electricity bill, Internet and other services." Most of the employers are looking for workers with low wages and great effort, in addition to their presence throughout the day in the restaurant and their lack of commitment to any external duties such as those that the Iraqi is obligated to perform within his family and his tribal system, which is what employers found in foreign arrivals, according to Karim.[/size]
[size=45]In a related context, the Director of Labor Inspection in the Department of Retirement and Social Security, Ahmed Turki Abd Ali, said in an interview with (Al-Mada) that “the number of continuous restaurants in Baghdad is 293 restaurants, employing 2051 guaranteed workers, while the number of continuous restaurants in the provinces is 167 restaurants, working It has 635 jobs,” noting that “a total of 460 restaurants covered by social security, and 2,686 guaranteed workers.”[/size]
[size=45]Sanctions against “employers”[/size]
[size=45]Abd Ali added, “We receive complaints from some restaurant workers because of wages, service, and treatment, and as a result, investigation visits are made.[/size]
[size=45]Article 94 of the Workers’ Retirement and Social Security Law No. 119 of 2002 states the following: If the employer gives or uses forged certificates, statements or information or contains false facts, and he is aware of its forgery, he shall be punished with the maximum penalty prescribed in the Penal Code for such These crimes, in addition to obligating him to pay compensation to the institution equivalent to five times the damage caused to it, and a fine equivalent to five times the compensation, provided that it is not less than fifty thousand dinars. As for Article 96 of the Workers’ Retirement and Social Security Law, No. 119 of 2002, it states the following:[/size]
[size=45]1- An employer who does not subscribe for his workers covered by the provisions of this law, or who subscribes for a number less than the number of his workers actually covered, shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of at least one month, and a fine equivalent to five times the contributions amounts due from him for the period during which the subscription was neglected. It shall not be less than fifteen thousand dinars for each worker who did not participate on his behalf. 2- If it is found that the employer was complicit in this with his workers, or with some of them, the workers who are proven to be complicit shall be punished with the penalty of deprivation of security rights for the period in which they were complicit in silence with their employer, in addition to the defamation penalty stipulated in Article 93 of the this is the law.[/size]
[size=45]The Director of Labor Inspection in the Department of Retirement and Social Security indicates that “the Social Security Department continues to follow up on projects under the inspection visits, calculate the amounts of contributions due on them and follow up their collection, as the Government Debt Collection Law No. 56 of 1977 provides for the seizure of movable and immovable funds for the non-compliant employer. By paying the contributions, especially since the contributions are considered excellent debts in accordance with the provisions of Paragraph C of Article 21 of the Social Security Law.”[/size]
[size=45]Abdul Ali noted that “the department worked to inform the working class of their rights imposed on them by law and the obligations arising from them through social media sites, in addition to leaflets and brochures that are distributed to workers during inspection tours to educate workers about the importance of obtaining a security identity and making sure that the contributions due from them are paid. “.[/size]
[size=45]And the Director of the Labor Inspection in the Department of Retirement and Social Security stated, “The worker who is not registered with the guarantee and has not obtained an identity card, can resort to the competent labor court to prove his guaranteed service with the employer and to submit to the court what supports his work with the employer, through witnesses or a written work contract between him. and the employer[/size]
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