Dear Diary,
I hope the next time I am writing to you I will not be sitting in this chair that I am in and using this table that I am using. I am fed up. I remember it like yesterday, that faithful day when I received my letter of appointment as an Intern to this organization. At that time words could not describe what I felt. All joyful and motivated to work hard so that I get a position in this reputable organization that everyone was craving to enter. Which I did, I totally worked hard and after my three months of internship, I got a call from the organization requesting that I continue with my work.
With great excitement and joy I couldn’t wait to start working. I
was so proud of myself for my wish had been granted. I called everyone to tell
them the good news. Indeed they were good news. When I commenced working my
enthusiasm to work was inevitable. I worked and sacrificed all I could for the
organization. I got credit for the jobs I did and also got a few rewards from
my immediate supervisor (mark you, immediate supervisor). But all that I never
got was recognition from the organization. For six months I did my work
diligently getting financial support from my well able parents (what would I do
without them?) When I talk of finances I mean house rent, bus fare, food, and
monies for my own upkeep.
I bet by now you’ve realized that I was working with no pay.
In other words, I was volunteering my services to the organization something I
don’t regret because I was paying to get experience. Indeed I got the
experience I wanted.
After six months the
organization decided to create positions for individuals like me
(Volunteers).They advertised quite several positions including which we
applied ( you noticed I wasn’t the only one paying for my experience). The
positions were to be on a contract basis where one would be paid a certain amount
of money per day which would then be calculated in wholesome at the end of the
month. That’s what the contract said and for sure that’s what we signed for.
Just to take you back a little, after we applied for the
positions we never seized to come to work. We were required to report to work
every day. Oh! Or should I say we needed to pay for our
experience until they confirmed us? Yes, that’s exactly what it was.
To cut the long story short, the confirmation came after 12
months when some of us had given up due to lack of finance, motivation, and
boredom of the never rewarding routine. I bet that’s one year down the line.
Thanks to my very supportive and encouraging parents, I managed to pay for my
experience until I was confirmed.
7+
The confirmation news came when I was almost giving up. So
once again I called everyone with joy and excitement to tell them the good news. My
parents were more excited than I was because they could now rest their monies.
The contract terms were perfect and, so I thought maybe the entire wait was
not in vain. Just to mention a few terms of the contract that captured my
attention; of course the main one was the fact that I was getting money at the
end of the day.
But the celebration didn’t last for long. After the end of
the first month of the contract we were all rejoicing with others waiting to be
paid but lo! The shock was on us. The permanent employees got their pay and we were
left asking what about us. We asked this for almost two weeks after the month
had ended and in the third week of the second month of our contract, we got
paid. We were not contented either because the monies that came were less of
what we had signed for. A lot of the money had been subtracted from the gross salary
which we could barely understand since we were usually paid in cash. The
subtraction left us with a ‘simsim’ kind of salary leave alone peanuts.
Now, what is this, Just when things had started being better when I had started budgeting for that dream sofa? I could not understand. So I
embarked on job searching since I couldn’t see any light downing on me.
My job search didn’t bear any fruits either.
My dear diary, I realized I had made a very terrible mistake
the last month of my contract. Before the month ended I had calculated fully
and found that since the month had 31 days and I had not missed any workday, I would get at least something good to start with. So that
month I toiled and moiled to achieve every target I had set to impress the
management to at least renew my contract.
Only to get a rude shock that I had been paid for only 7
days of that month a payment that came one month down the line. Just to make
you understand, I was given payments for March in the month of
May.
My dear diary, this is what has befallen me now; I have gone
back to the old me, I have started paying for my services. How do you even pay
for your services? That question I am yet to get an answer to. But I hope today
is the last day on this chair at this good for nothing organization. I am fed
up!
End/written on 15th May 2013
