Let’s Not Forget To Appreciate “Menial Workers”

By Ettie Rutherford
Contributing Columnist

As the pandemic drags on, we are all enormously happy, and grateful, for the innovative ways, by which our front-line workers — including doctors, nurses and medical technicians, who risk their lives, on a daily basis, to care for ailing patients — have been appreciated and honoured.

This support for front-line workers is very thoughtful and definitely the way it ought to be.

Photo credit: Tedward Quinn/Unsplash.

However, there is far too little credit, given to the workers, who clean the floors, sanitize instruments and furniture, deal with garbage and do a host of minimum-wage jobs that are so essential to the survival of patients — and overlooked.

Without these menial workers (as they are called), none of the front-line workers would dare go into any building to assist patients.

While “We are all in this together” might sound reassuring to some, for those workers, who provide essential services, needed for sanitizing buildings etc. it is difficult to understand this “togetherness”, when there has been scarce mention of their contributions and well being.

So, let us:
* Remind the decision-makers and others to acknowledge those workers;
* Agitate for them to be included for benefits and salary raises;
* Support the host of immigrant women relegated to most of those healthcare jobs;
* Name those menial positions, when acknowledging other workers;
*Listen for what is not said, then raise your voices…….Let’s not forget!

In Sisterhood!
Ettie