As I wrote recently, I intend to write about my experiences as a factory worker.

After giving my approach some thought, I have decided to keep things simple, and write some short notes on various issues that I have been presented with.

The aim of this, is to not only to share my experiences, but to gather material together for a longer piece, which I plan to write on the subject.

I do not intend to make public my employer for the reason that the issues I intend to raise are not localised and particular to me, personally. These are issues facing working people all over Australia and indeed the world. Further, this is not an attack on my employer inasmuch as it is an attack on the system which supports and nurtures the kind of working conditions one must endure as a contemporary worker.

To start off with, I will write about the extremes in temperature which I have found, whilst working in a factory.

As everyone is aware, Australia gets hot, with summer temperatures sometimes reaching 42 degrees centigrade, in Melbourne, where I work. Not only are these temperatures uncomfortable for the human organism, they are actually dangerous.

What many may not realise though, is that during the winter months, the weather in some parts of Australia can become quite cold. For example, in Melbourne, during the winter’s coldest period, the maximum daytime temperature is about 9 degrees centigrade.

During these extremes of temperature, my co-workers and I work in a concrete space, with no form of heating or cooling. All the while, merely a few feet from us, are managerial staff, working in climate controlled offices.

I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on the reasons for this disparity, and most of these times were spent struggling to continue working, for an employer who does not regard me or my co-workers as worthy of any form of liberty or just treatment. And yes, I am writing this in the 21st century, not at the turn of the industrial revolution.

It is interesting to note, that despite the extremes in climate in Australia, there is no legislation in place which obligates employers to provide a comfortable working environment, nor is there a guideline max/min temperature where workers can cease working in cases where temperatures exceed such guidelines.