The legendary flattery which consists of selling the merits of the dynamism of youth by making people believe that there is no sub-job is more of a distraction than an encouragement. If we must indeed praise the choice of honest and responsible means to earn one's living, declaring that there is no sub-profession is running the risk of inciting individuals to take themselves for what they are not, going beyond the limits that they should not and show an execrable lack of decency towards others.
We must call things by their names to help people better embrace who they are so as not to put themselves on the same level as people they cannot reach. If there were no sub-occupations, there would not be individuals who live in difficult neighbourhoods while others are in luxury neighbourhoods. It is not a question of offending anyone but of confronting this harsh reality of life and accepting without tongue in cheek that there are indeed sub-jobs instead of implicitly advocating indecent work.
Indecent or underpaid work
According to the International Labour Organization, decent work represents all of people's aspirations regarding their professional lives. It involves among other things, contributing to production, having good remuneration, having safe conditions in the workplace, and benefiting from social protection for one's family.
In a geographical context where a large part of the population lives below the poverty line, that is to say, with an uncertain daily income that does not reach the daily income necessary to satisfy basic needs per day, it is impossible to live decently. Let us take a more specific example which is not limited to one individual but to a considerable group of individuals. Let's leave absolute poverty, that is to say that which refers to people who do not have the level of income necessary to ensure a decent existence on a daily or monthly basis, and take the case of a geographical context and high cost of living where there are some who have much more than others. How in such a context, regardless of disparate aid, can an individual who has less than twenty thousand francs per month manage to find housing, food, clothing, healthcare...
Also read : Serve and not be serve to be a true servant
We will perhaps say each thing in its own time and that is absolutely right! But with such an income, in Cameroon for example, in the capital city or even in the hinterland assuming that there is really work! With such an income and without outside help, how can you get by with a sub-job or underpaid work? A context where those who are paid the SMIG (guaranteed interprofessional minimum wage) experience enormous difficulty in making ends meet.
Adaptability measures
These are the means we implement to get through it. It is not only in Africa that we adopt this type of measures. Depending on the geographical context, a person is sometimes forced to carry out two or three underpaid activities during the course of a day to get by. And sometimes it's not enough. Some even borrow loans to study that they cannot even repay even after getting a job.
In Africa and in Cameroon in particular, populations have always been aware of living in an increasingly individualistic world where it is better to adapt so as not to die of hunger. This is why there have always been sub-jobs or lower-income activities that allow those who carry out these activities to survive. Generally these are people who love what they do because they are aware of belonging to a lower level of society which also has its usefulness. It is not in this type of environment that we will frequently hear expressions such as “there is no sub-job” because one are already aware of belonging to the vulnerable layers of society.
“There is no sub-job” is one of the favourite and frequently used expressions by politicians. Indeed, when they want to gain votes from the common people, “there is no sub-job”; they have the gift of using all forms of situations in their favour without solving problems. There are sub-jobs, there will always be some and they will always have their uses. Speeches that want people to believe otherwise are just pure distractions.
Adaptation measures are increasing particularly in the Territories where more than half of the activities are classified in the informal sector because in some places and for decades, the quality of training has been inadequate with employment needs. But if several States are today paying the price of long years of poor training, this is no reason not to be content with sub-jobs or to make those who are content with odd jobs believe that there are no odd jobs.
In a context where a large part of the population lives from day to day, to survive is to adapt daily. One must have a sense of responsibility, one must accept who we are and love what we do while preparing to exercise our right to vote in the next elections because, if "there is no sub-jobs”, this is because the voice of all those who have a sub-job is of great importance.
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