It would be so simple to finally do what we want in our jobs. Yet, more than just complaining about how badly we are treated and paid, or how much we are exploited, doesn’t come from the comfort of a sofa.
When I Want To, Wheels Stand Still
I mean, let’s be honest! I have addressed this topic here on the blog and in social networks many times before and also presented solutions.
That I don’t reach everyone with it is clear to me. However, I have also addressed the topic in the article “When I Want To, Wheels Stand Still”. We are many. If we want to make a change, then we must do it ourselves.
But most are not ready to take action themselves to bring about change.
Many always say we don’t have a lobby. None of us has the money for a lobbyist.
Hello… Wake up. We would have a lobby if we just organized ourselves.
But no one wants that either. Unions are often seen as something negative. They supposedly do nothing for us.
Here are a few points that unions have achieved without you even noticing:
Shorter working hours: Many achievements like the 8-hour workday or minimum vacation days go back to union pressure.
Fair income: Unions counter wage inequality – e.g., between men and women or between industries.
Solidarity: They also represent particularly disadvantaged or precariously employed groups.
Fight against exploitation: Protection against arbitrary dismissals or unfair employment relationships.
Influence on decisions: Unions actively participate in political decision-making processes.
Laws for everyone: Many labor standards (e.g., protection against dismissal, parental leave, minimum wage) were shaped or won through union influence.
Further education: They offer training courses, seminars, and workshops.
Legal advice: Even non-members often benefit indirectly through information about rights and obligations in the employment relationship.
One alone achieves nothing. Together we can make it
or differently: What I want
I still have the idea in mind that there is a basic model according to which certain standards should apply in our industry regarding wages and working conditions.
I myself have no problem with loading or unloading my truck with 33 pallets. What I have a problem with, however, is storing pallets on high shelves and having to repack them if the stupid computer doesn’t accept them. I don’t see that as my task.
§ 412 HGB says that the sender must ensure that goods are loaded and unloaded. They are not stored and, if necessary, also repacked.
I want us to be paid for our hours and not fed a fixed monthly salary.
Or that the parking shortage is partially alleviated by allowing drivers to take their legally mandated rest breaks at the points where we pick up or drop off our cargo. Yes, this works for a few. However, many companies do not want to do this for “insurance reasons”.
Of course, it’s understandable somewhere. However, discounters at their central warehouses have the space for one or another to take their daily rest break there without disturbing ongoing operations.
Reality greets you
Sure, some will now say: Have fun with that. Contact me when you’ve succeeded.
But that is exactly the reason why nothing moves in the industry. Because hardly anyone wants to help someone else with their endeavor.
It just so happens that you get four up on a stool more often than two drivers under one roof.
What I mentioned are only some of many points that can be added to the list of demands. There is even more. I can only speak from my standpoint. That this isn’t everything that needs changing, is clear to me as well.
Or to put it differently: Everyone knows the situation when you go to the boss and tell him your dissatisfaction, and he then just says: Hey, if it doesn’t suit you, then find something else.
If you do this as an individual, you get that reaction. But it’s different when many stand before the boss with the same opinion and put him to the choice: either you change things, or we change the employer. This has already led to one or another driver being fired because their colleagues no longer wanted anything to do with that guy.
Not alone, together
Anyway. Just think about it. Alone we achieve nothing; together we make the wheels stand still.
