The heavy cost behind urban beautification
In this era of pursuing urban image and quality of life, people's requirements for the urban environment are getting higher and higher. As the guardians of urban environmental sanitation, the majority of sanitation workers bear a heavy burden of work. Recently, a news of "judging by grams" has sparked heated discussions among netizens, which not only reflects the unreasonable harshness of some management departments' requirements for sanitation workers, but also reflects the long-term marginalization and underestimation of their group.
The controversial policy of "judging by restraint".
According to reports, some cities have stipulated that sanitation workers must ensure that the weight of dust on each square meter of pavement does not exceed 5 grams, otherwise their performance bonuses will be affected. For a time, the joke that "there is a lantern in the south to assess the damage, and there is a clean in the north" was widely circulated on the Internet. This practice is undoubtedly another harsh requirement for sanitation workers.
The hardships of sanitation work can be imagined, and I have to go to work at three or four o'clock in the morning every day to sweep away the dust and stains on the streets with my hands. Cold and summer, wind and sun, they diligently sweep every corner of the city with calloused hands. Most of the sanitation workers are old, their clothes are shabby, and their monthly salary is only about 2,000 yuan, but they bear the hardest and most sweaty work. Nowadays, they are also required to have no more than 5 grams of dust per square meter of pavement, which is undoubtedly an unreasonable abuse of them.
Some netizens bluntly said: "Normal people feel unreasonable when they see it, since sanitation workers have to go to work and carry scales, it is better to raise wages than to find faults." They believe that this practice is undoubtedly targeting the most basic and poorly treated people, and is squeezing the last trace of blood and sweat from the poor class.
Proponents believe that "only reward, not punish" is humane
However, some netizens also expressed their understanding and approval of this policy. The relevant department explained that this is only a reward policy, and every month sanitation workers can get an additional 500 yuan performance bonus if they meet the standard, and if they do not meet the standard, it will not affect the original salary.
Proponents believe that this is undoubtedly a humane policy of "only rewarding and not punishing". On the one hand, it does put higher demands on sanitation workers, but on the other hand, it also increases their income channels. Earning an extra $500 a month is also a considerable income for them. In addition, the road surface is cleaner and tidier, which is obviously what the public is looking forward to.
The reality is cruel: the situation of the underestimated group needs to be improved
Regardless of the viewpoint, the social problem reflected by this incident is clear: sanitation workers, as the most basic workers in the city, have long been marginalized and undervalued. Their wages are low, their working conditions are poor, and their jobs are perceived as inferior, and their rights and interests are often not protected.
The society's attention and attention to the sanitation worker group has always been insufficient. In the process of urban development, they are the most indispensable group, but at the same time, they are also the lowest group. As the most basic workers, they should be treated with due respect, reasonable wages and a humane working environment.
In reality, the management measures and performance appraisal methods of sanitation workers in some places fail to truly reflect humanistic care. On the contrary, many practices tend to be simplistic and mechanized, which fails to effectively improve their survival and development, and even increases their work pressure.
Humanized management is the general direction
So, how to truly embody humanistic care in urban sanitation management, balance the citizens' expectations for a clean environment and the reasonable rights and interests of sanitation workers? Humanized management should become the direction of reform in the future.
First of all, it is necessary to reasonably formulate the work standards and assessment methods of sanitation workers. The practice of judging purity by restraint alone is too mechanical and blunt and does not conform to the actual situation. It is also necessary to formulate reasonable and feasible hygiene standards based on the specific environmental characteristics of each neighborhood to prevent a one-size-fits-all approach. The assessment should not be too difficult or completely laissez-faire, but should strike a balance between operability and humanity.
Second, effectively improve the overall salary level and social status of sanitation workers. The work they do may seem simple, but the importance of maintaining the city's face cannot be overstated. Reasonable remuneration should be given according to the intensity of work and social contribution, and sanitation work should be promoted to be non-discriminatory and equally respected in society.
Thirdly, create a humanized working environment for sanitation workers. Appropriate humane care is given in terms of service facilities, working hours and labor intensity. At the same time, their working conditions should also be improved as much as possible, such as adopting mechanized work to reduce the intensity of manual labor.
Finally, each of us as a member of the public also needs to give enough respect and support to sanitation workers. Don't point fingers at them, but look at them with empathy. Take the initiative to create a good working environment for them and support the government to provide better job security. We can start from ourselves, maintain good living habits, reduce pollution to the environment, and reduce the burden of work for sanitation workers.
Sanitation workers are an indispensable group, and they guard our beautiful life with their industrious and simple hands. We should treat them with more human care, so that they are no longer marginalized in society. Only when we pay attention to each group and understand the needs of each individual can cities become more livable and societies embrace true civilization.