Butcher making a sale.
By Osmel Almaguer
HAVANA TIMES – After stitching up my finger, the doctor asked me if I was going to need a seven-day medical leave certificate. I replied that I needed to make a call to my company. During that call, I negotiated what I believed was best for me and my family: to continue working, without exerting myself and without working with a knife.
Part of my job as the person in charge of the butcher shop is administrative. I handle the day’s advertising, place orders, manage personnel, etc. Also, wearing gloves, I was able to stock some freezers where we sell frozen chicken, fish, hamburgers, and breaded products, relying mainly on my left hand.
During the process, I had to take many pills that kept me half-drugged. It was very difficult to maintain my composure in a situation like that, because there are always subordinates who become insubordinate, and the medications were causing mood swings.
Nevertheless, despite the mistakes I made with the promotions and an argument that did not escalate into anything more serious, I kept going. Why? This reminds me of the time when we lived in Cuba. Do you remember those plastic bags (the jabitas) containing some basic products that were given as an incentive for not missing work? Well, it’s the same here, but with a modern twist.
When you start working at most Brazilian companies, they give you a food allowance card that is reloaded every month. In my case, I receive 18 reais for each day worked, which would have meant losing 90 reais (almost US $18) if I took off.
In addition, the attendance bonus system guarantees 300 reais for not missing a single day of work. It is money that my wife and I factor into our finances every month. As a result, even though nothing would have been deducted from my salary on the payroll, I would have lost almost 400 reais.
After the sixth day, I woke up with my finger somewhat swollen and painful. Even so, I went to work and spoke with management. After noon, I left for the hospital to deal with the problem.
After a three-hour wait at the Urgent Care Unit—a wait that is considered short by the standards of these facilities—they removed my stitches and prescribed a new type of antibiotic, along with more painkillers and anti-inflammatory medication.
Normally, you receive all this free of charge at the hospital pharmacy itself. However, since they did not have the antibiotics, I will have to buy them at a private pharmacy, and they are expensive.
For cases involving workplace accidents, the law establishes certain protocols that, because I am building a career at my company, I chose not to file a claim to maintain a friendly relationship. However, it is common for Brazilians to file claims against companies to obtain some money from them.
Taking legal action against companies has one major disadvantage: when you need to find another job, no one in the same sector in which you filed the claim will want to hire you because they consider you potentially troublesome.
Read more from Osmel Almaguer’s diary here at Havana Times.
