Ang Fast food Crew sa Mabilis na Globalisasyon: Naratibo ng mga Manggagawang “Hindi Laging Bida ang Saya”

Abstract

Fast food chains, particularly the shared experiences of its working service crews, take part on labor discourses in relation to the rapid growth and demands of globalization. Despite the positive views on its effects, several social science experts also view that such global phenomenon has negative impacts on the socio-economic and cultural facets of developing countries – in which a numerous citizens tend to not reognize due to its economic opportunities. This paper discusses various shared experiences of selected fast food crews related to their work situations in working spaces explicitly affected by neoliberal globalization – fast food chains. From the data gathered through informal conversations and interviews with 17 key informants, this study thematized a number of significant resembling experiences that they face as service crews associated with the ‘fast, instant, and/or rapid’ attribute of globalization: (1) self and familial economic needs is the primary reason of students to work as fast food crews while studying; (2) the exploitative system of regularization is apparent in the industry and should be addressed; (3) due to the long time spent working in the store and in school, student-service crews’ social relationships especially with the family are also significantly affected; (4) underestimating fast food crews as workers is observed in Philippine society; (5) fast food crews’ minimum wage is not competitive despite the all-around work; and (6) the designation of tasks in a store according to sex and age of fast food crews is a common practice amongst fast food chains. These shared experiences among Filipino service crews – or several other labor forces in Third World countries – are believed to be paralleled to the continuous implications of globalization.