Last year, I read an incredibly inspiring article on the The Straits Times. On 13th September 2021, retail workers in Tamil Nadu cheered as the government passed a law granting them the Right to Sit. Tamil Nadu and Kerala are the only states in India to have this law.
The Right to Sit movement in India
The battle had begun in 2015 when 6 saleswomen walked out of a major textile store holding chairs demanding that their boss treat them “like humans, not machines”. What was started by a small number of workers turned into a law that changed the work life of at least 800,000 retail employees!
I also learned that last year in New York, a ‘Standing Is Tiring’ (SIT) bill was tabled to let retail workers sit down on their job. The cleverly titled SIT bill “requires employers to provide suitable seats to all employees where the nature of such employees’ work reasonably permits seated work.”
Here in Singapore, a similar campaign (Singapore style) has begun. In October 2022, after receiving several complaints from workers about having to stand for long hours without break, workers rights group Workers Make Possible (WMP) began a public pressure campaign focused on Watsons. Full disclosure: I’m a proud member of WMP.
WorkersMakePossible meet Watsons
Together with a former worker at Watsons and an F&B worker, we met with their management staff which comprised their managers for operations, human resources, and their head of Marketing. We presented a dossier on the health impacts, testimonies of workers and customers alike, and demands of affected workers. After 1 hour of back and forth, management agreed to commit to some things, short of granting a right to sit.
The mainstream press has covered the issue rather well. They’ve done an excellent job, so far. This would not have been possible had not alternative media outlets like Wake Up Singapore, The Online Citizen, or the Independent SG used their platforms to raise awareness on this issue when it was less popular. WMP has since received complaints from customers, workers, and concerned family members of workers of about 30 other companies that don’t let their workers sit. You can read more about the contents of the meeting, the 1 hour of back and forth on WMP’s instagram page here.
At the meeting with Watsons, one of the managers said that staff aren’t allowed to sit as it looks unprofessional. This was puzzling to those of us who were there. But maybe, we were in the minority? It was to much relief that a few days ago, TODAY journalist Navene Elangovan published an excellent report on the right to sit, where she said, in a straw poll they conducted, almost ALL 50 shoppers said it’s okay for the staff to be seated if there aren’t any customers in the shop.
Slightly more than half said that the staff should be standing if there are customers in the shop. The comments section of the article was interesting however. Most of the 80 comments had customers sharing that they would much prefer that the staff be seated unless they require the staff’s services. This was also the case when we randomly interviewed customers for their views on the issue.
@sgviralvids support the right to sit for retail workers #righttosit #Singapore #watsons #workersrightsmatter
♬ original sound – SG Viral Videos
Everyone we interviewed said they would prefer that workers be given a chair where and when appropriate. Check out our 2 part video of these interviews.
But what do you think?
In this day and age in 2023:
Is it fair that pharmacists get a chair while the retail staff don’t because it’s allegedly a “safety hazard” (yes, Watsons management actually said that, see: IG post above)?
Is it fair that management have meetings in the comfort of air con rooms in swivel chairs, while the store workers have to sweat it out finding ways to steal a few seconds to catch a (seated) break without being caught on CCTV?
Is it fair that a multinational brand that literally earns its millions of dollars on the strained, varicose veined and swollen backs and legs of their minimum wage earning rank and file workers on their feet all day? Why are we so backward in this?
Contrary to what Watsons mangement says, there is no consensus whatsoever that workers sitting down during their shifts is seen as “unprofessional”. However, what’s crystal clear is that the health impacts of being on your feet all day are extremely serious. ow back pain, physical fatigue, muscle pain, leg swelling, tiredness, and body part discomfort due to prolonged standing. According to a 2014 article posted on the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, there is significant evidence that prolonged standing at work (primarily in one place) increases risk of low back pain, cardiovascular problems, and pregnancy outcomes. In our current labour law regime too, workers aren’t entitled to make insurance claims for such injuries at work. There is so much that needs to be changed.
It’s easy to think that these workers should be on their feet for their whole shift because they ought to serve customers. But what if the worker in question is an elderly relative of yours? A mother? An aunty? An uncle? WMP has received several painful complaints from youngsters concerned about their elderly aunties. Their inability to converse in English is also a challenge for some of them to advocate for themselves.
Sit down for your fellow workers
Haven’t we pledged for #HealthierSG? Haven’t we declared #ForwardSG? Haven’t we championed #StrongerTogether?
Then let’s stand up, mean, SIT DOWN for our fellow workers, shall we?
If you don’t think that the staff at Watsons should be on their feet all day, let management at Watsons know that by signing and sharing this petition widely so that we can finally, #LetWorkersSit!
Workers Make Possible plans to submit this petition directly to Watsons’ management.
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