Precarious work and telemarketing operators

Abstract

This article is based on a study about the reality experienced by attendants from a call center maintained by a telecommunications company whose change into a private business brought unemployment, increase of third party job contracting, worsening of working conditions and weakening of labor union organizations. On their third party role, the telemarketing operators exhibit work conditions on an unstable balance marked by subcontracts, high turnover, low wages and neglect of health issues. Work conditions adopted by promoting agents are shaped in such a fashion as to combine modern technology for controlling productivity and old practices of vigilance based on demanding results, levying psychological pressure, moral harassment and constant threat of dismissal. One is dealing with a category formed mainly by female youngsters that have concluded high school and are in search of their first job attracted by the fact that they can work and have other activities. Workers in this category have a short date validation, for in a very short span of time start showing signs of physical and psychological problems due to the intense pace of working. There are, however, resistance instances such as the strike staged by telemarketing operators in 2007 in which the category displayed its disputing power and tried to show to the society how the telecommunications services work following their merchandising process: by means of adopting an strengthened exploitation feature of work, and degrading living conditions of the “flexible” workers.