I wanted to display some interesting parts of a document I encountered at work. The following is a list of collective bargaining agreements provisions fought for by the unions at the manufacturing plants I’ve been visiting: “details of welfare items and other benefits eligible for employees.” Among the exhaustive list, some strange ones:
[item: amount, frequency]
- socks: 2 pairs, yearly
- towels: 3, yearly
- ball point pens: 1 , yearly (a little stingy, no? come on guys… let’s work on this one)
- rain coat (duck-back): 1, 3 years
- bedsheet: 1, yearly
- coconut oil: 2 liters, bi-monthly
- Hamam soap: depends on who you are. Ranges from 10, bimonthly, to 2, “as and when.” “Security dog squard” [sic] and “Refrigiration [sic] Chiller Leak-Test Maintenance” get the least; full-timers and “probatioers” [sic] get the most.
- Horlicks (basically, little cookies): 1 kg, 3 months
Then, regarding guaranteed allowances:
(part of the benevolent fund:) 25,000 rupees for “dying in harness,” “22 carrot [sic] gold coin” for retiring after 10 years, and for “retirement memento,” a “bi-cycle” and “one (1) wall clock.”
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