Workers wanting more than Managers

[kiwi pom]

I needed the gable ends of our house painted, as I'm to old now to climb a triple ladder. I got in touch with 4 painter/decorators local to me for a price to do the job. 2 never even bothered to get back to me 1 wanted £400 and the other was too bust until next year. A mate sent his guy around (Romanian) he knocked them both out in 5 hours and a tidy job. How much ? He asked £50 (£10 per hour) You can stuff your British workers up your arse. I gave him a ton and a pack of beer.

Interesting. I wonder if the P&D firm quoted doing the job properly with scaffolding, prep and several coats of paint?
Where as your guy ran up a ladder and chucked a bit of paint about?

 

[Castle Farm]

No Kiwi the job was a good-un. I mixed the paint myself and he covered every bit. It's not rocket science painting a wall, even the karate kid could do it.

 

[B'o'B]

No Kiwi the job was a good-un. I mixed the paint myself and he covered every bit. It's not rocket science painting a wall, even the karate kid could do it.

£400 would have looked cheap if your man had slipped and fallen from height.
As it was he didn’t which is what happens 99.9% of the time with the risks we take, but when it doesn’t it’s too late and lives are ruined.


Edit. I would also suggest if he’s self employed and charging £10/h he isn’t paying any tax or thinking about his future.

 

[Castle Farm]

Your probably right B'O'B, But there again he wasn't sitting on his arse living on hand outs.

 

[B'o'B]

Your probably right B'O'B, But there again he wasn't sitting on his arse living on hand outs.

Nor was the guy who wanted to look after his work force, pay his taxes and charge accordingly. But there you go.

 

[thesilentone]

We are in a period of Labour inflation, which will inevitably drive up prices and inflation.

Not a bad thing once the dust has settled.

Supply and demand at work.

 

[toquark]

Many employers have chosen to become organisations of chiefs, outsourcing the manual aspect of their businesses to cheap foreign labour. Now that tap’s been turned off, they are reaping the reward of under investment in their staff resource for two decades.

Its pretty simple, if they want the ones who are there then they’ll have to pay for them.

 

[Ashtree]

£400 would have looked cheap if your man had slipped and fallen from height.
As it was he didn’t which is what happens 99.9% of the time with the risks we take, but when it doesn’t it’s too late and lives are ruined.


Edit. I would also suggest if he’s self employed and charging £10/h he isn’t paying any tax or thinking about his future.

Agreed. Cash man shinning up ladders is fine and dandy until he has an accident. I need the gaf painted, and feel nowadays ladder climbing is not for me anymore. I’ve asked a contractor who I know. He says it will be into October before he can start. I said fine, Mrs., will put the tea on when you arrive. Just not willing now to have an uninsured cash jobber about the place anymore. Have done in the past, and looking back I feel I was foolish.

 

[warksfarmer]

I always wonder about them. On paper they should be making a decent living, but somehow they never come across as that flush.

Bricky turned up here in his new Range Rover to quote. His requirements were:

Hours 9-3 (1 hour off for breaks)
No work if it’s over 25 degrees
No work if it’s under 7 degrees
Materials all within 24 metres of the job
Price £425/day

He was a little surprised when the answer was no thanks. Got somebody doing the job now for £180/day and they turn up at 7am and leave at 4.

Some of these tradesmen are going to have a very big shock when houses prices drop again like they always do.

 

[glasshouse]

Bricky turned up here in his new Range Rover to quote. His requirements were:

Hours 9-3 (1 hour off for breaks)
No work if it’s over 25 degrees
No work if it’s under 7 degrees
Materials all within 24 metres of the job
Price £425/day

He was a little surprised when the answer was no thanks. Got somebody doing the job now for £180/day and they turn up at 7am and leave at 4.

Some of these tradesmen are going to have a very big shock when houses prices drop again like they always do.

Been saying that for thirty yr

 

[Lowland1]

Pay builders minimum wage and everyone will be able to afford a house.

 

[Cowmansam]

Or they just won’t build any

 

[Lowland1]

Or they just won’t build any

No houses or just unaffordable houses a dilemma. If they were hungry i might get someone to sort my kitchen by October.

 

[ollie989898]

For me £600 a tonne wheat wouldn’t mean yards full of Fendt, Lexions and Range Rovers it would mean famine lots of very poor hungry people roaming the world and possibly the Chinese arriving to collect their food at gun point. It’s not something to be looking forward to. There’s a reason for cheap food it keeps the population in line which is what Governments want.

I agree. 3 times the peak price of wheat would lead to all kinds of hurt for many of the world's economies. Civil war may well result, along with the inevitable tide of refugees.

 

[unlacedgecko]

I agree. 3 times the peak price of wheat would lead to all kinds of hurt for many of the world's economies. Civil war may well result, along with the inevitable tide of refugees.

It's what led to the "Arab Spring".


Civilization only ever 3 meals away from anarchy.

 

[Robt]

Come to Suffolk, can’t get a traddie for love or money! Local firms are each trying steal each other’s workers. None of them work after 4, most not after 3! The odd one is making silly money but they turn up early and go home late (well 7 to 5, so hardly long hours ) they are making hay while sun shines and grossing twice what the average trddie makes. So about £120k after bills.
average chippy or sparky making 70k easy .
rhey have about 3k invested on tools. They don’t work weekends .
building isn’t hard physical graft like it used to be