The other night, at the incessant insistence of my daughter to replace my collection of tattered work-out gear with new ones, I stopped at an area with quite a few shops that sold health and sports gear.

It was past ten in the evening, and we were lucky enough to find one store still open. Once inside, my daughter proceeded to instruct me on all items that I had to replace including my well-worn athletic shoes. By nature, I am very partial to old possessions and don’t find it particularly easy to discard them and move on comfortably into newer items. However, I was in a passive mood that night and decided to go along.

We found every item we were looking for with the exception of socks for the new shoes I had purchased. The Filipino salesman apologetically told me they were all sold out. When I inquired if there were other stores around that carried that brand, he mentioned two just down the street. But, he added, I’d have to come for them the following day, as those stores had closed at 10 p.m.

“And how come you’re still open then?” I asked. “You must be raking it in with all these late night customers, aren’t you? Being that you’re the only store yet open? “It is not by choice sir,” replied the Somali cashier standing besides us. “We have to stay open until there are no more customers left.”

“That could mean anytime until 3:00 a.m. in the morning the way this city operates during the summer months! Well then, so long as the owner pays you your overtime, I suppose it would be OK,” I added. “Aah sir, here is the problem. There is no overtime for the staff,” he responded dejectedly. The Indian stock assistant standing nearby confirmed that with a vigorous nodding of his head.

“What? You mean to tell me that you could be possibly working late night after night and putting long hours during the entire summer months and there is no form of compensation that is due you? Bull feathers! This is totally unacceptable! Other stores here seem to maintain regular working hours, and now suddenly I feel guilty for keeping you guys way past your shift. Have you complained to your management about these long, odd hours?”

“Sir, if we complain to management, we would all be replaced within the month. You must have heard about the biscuit factory workers and their complaints, sir. Just exactly where did it get them? I have heard that most of them were fired and sent home without their dues. And all for demanding what was rightfully theirs, sir.”

“You may have a point here my friend. But I shall not take it lying down. I will write about it and hopefully some wise individual in the ministry, upon reading this and who deals with such issues, may feel a pang of conscience and work along the side of the faceless ranks of labor, thousands upon thousands of them, who have contributed to building this country, as we know it. For now, let me not hold you back from your families any further. Here is my money, and God be with you,” I added, hurriedly settling my account and leaving.

***

Apart from working hours abuse in the summer months, another phenomena seems to be on the rise. Last night, I was again distracted by the loud and disturbing sounds of several loudspeakers in the neighborhood I live in. It seems that as part of the summer festival, tents had been erected just north of Fun Time Pizza on the Corniche for some kind of shows and acts.

Now that would be all well if those organizing this event had not installed loud speakers all over the perimeter of these tents from the exterior, with sounds emanating into all directions. And this was at 1:30 in the morning, for goodness’ sake! Why couldn’t they just install these speakers inside the tents where the visitors were? Didn’t the Ministry of Interior ban such disturbance some time back? And do we have any noise ordinance by-laws within the charter of our municipality? If we do, who should enforce them? And if we don’t, isn’t it about time that we did?

Or do the summer months time grant us the freedom and authority to disregard rules of conduct and ethics? To abuse or disturb as we please?

— Tariq A. Al-Maeena, [email protected]