Dignity of labor (Take pride in your work!)

The garbage collection schedule in our corner of the world has gone out of whack. We used to have our trash collected on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, two days for biodegradable waste and mid-week for the non-biodegradable. The truck usually arrives between 6:30 to 8:00 AM.

While we have to wait an extra two days before the garbage is collected on Monday, it was fine. But since things are slowly returning to normal, the truck has been missing its Monday schedule. Instead it comes on Tuesday, in which case they skip Wednesday and just return on Friday!

Yesterday was a Tuesday. But there was no sign of the truck. Meanwhile, every household has brought out their trash, and these are sitting outside homes because no one wanted to be scrambling to bring them out in case the dumpster crew arrived at some odd time.

They finally arrived today, the middle of the week. It took them a while to get to our part of the street, which is understandable given the pile they needed to pick up in the houses before us. I made sure to check they picked up the two trash bags we left because there've been times when they leave these, especially if it's filled with dried leaves and twigs.

And that's when I saw this one collector just tossing four pails used as receptacles by a neighbor instead of setting them upright. I wanted to call him out for it, or better yet, take a video of what he did. But I had no phone with me.

Yes, I want to report how sloppy they work. And I've already reported the screwed up schedule. I've always believed in giving your best whatever it is you do for work. So, while I get that this collection team needs to hustle because it had more areas to collect from, I think the collectors can move just as quickly without leaving a mess after picking up the trash.

The root cause, however, for the shoddy performance stems from a total lack of dignity of labor. It's not something Filipinos have been raised on - being proud of the work you do. The small, dirty, and menial tasks which require workers are scoffed at or frowned upon.

If that's what you do for a living, people look down on you. Even the employers who offer this service don't think it fit to raise the dignity of their workers. The garbage collectors are mostly dressed shabbily, with no masks or gloves to protect them from all the filth they encounter every single day. Worse, I don't think they're even paid decently for the work they do.

It probably wouldn't be so bad if every single household - whether in gated villages or among urban settlers - did a good job at sorting their trash. But they don't! So, it's a hodgepodge of trash (many of them icky!) that these collectors have to haul to the truck, which will undergo serious scavenging once it hits the landfill.

These garbage collectors and street sweepers or those in charge of maintaining public toilet facilities are not made to feel like they are essential personnel that's why they don't care about how they go about doing their work as long as it gets done.

I have not been employed for menial tasks (although as an intern, I did messengerial and very basic clerical work) but in doing these, I would do it as best as I could, much like when I do the dishes, when I make sure to do really, really good work. It's called having pride in my work, regardless of how trivial or menial the task may be.

But that is NOT a mindset inculcated in Filipinos. Instead, my countrymen are made to feel small, even insignificant, if that's the kind of work they do.

Even the all-around fix-it people don't get the credit they deserve for work that requires specific skills! Nor are they able to charge higher fees if they are freelancers, when similar services offered by a formal enterprise will charge twice or even three times more.

I was glad to have come across an artist - he does reproduction work of photos - who takes a lot of pride in his work. I asked how much he charged for his work and he showed me a rate card (If I remember right the cheapest is a charcoal (bond paper size) which costs 2,500 pesos.)

Then I inquired how long it took him to complete each project. Usually, it was three to four days. Then he added, 'but I can do rush work, too.' However, he prefers being given time to properly do the job because he wants to put 101 per cent effort in everything he did.

Besides, having ample time to produce his artwork was also a manifestation of how much love and dedication he puts in what he was doing. And it would reflect in every piece he completed. I can attest to that because the samples on display were excellent and almost like a photograph. (I will try to take photos of his work when I go back and post it here.)

He would do them in charcoal, sepia or pastels and the result never varies - each is created with love. That devotion to work can be felt just looking at each piece.

As we were chatting, he was working on a portrait of a lady, whose image was taken from a 3R photograph, her face the size of a 5-centavo coin. But our resident artist is resourceful, so he enlarged the image and started the reproduction based on that.

As with any image expanded 50 times its original size, it was sort of pixelated. But no worries, he is an artist par excellence and even added life to the eyes that were not so clear in the blown-up copy. After 20 minutes or so he already shaded the face and it was an exact likeness of the photo! So yes, he works really fast but the quality is never compromised.

That is what I mean about loving and being proud of the work you do. And having dignity of labor.

Of course, a garbage collector is a far cry from an artist. But many artists actually struggle to earn from their talent and very few are lucky to have continuous work. I guess the care shown in your work just gives back and opens more opportunities.

Speaking from the side who are at the receiving end of services, let us show appreciation for the work they do, and encourage them to be proud of their jobs and give their all to it.

Call their attention to shoddy work. And let us also remind them to render good, if not excellent, service, however menial their tasks may seem.

Images from Unsplash