I Can Not Believe This

[honeydip]

I spoke to my friend who I used to work with. He was a tiler/ builder and I did the plumbing. Anyway we used to make around £150 per day on a good day each. It sounds a lot but to be honest you needed it as you didnt get work that much. If we ever got someone in to help us we would pay them 40-50 pounds a day labour. Neither of us had nice cars or money to burn. We were just paying our mortgage and when we went home with 500 notes in your pocket after a hard week it was an amazing feeling.
Well now he is sat at home claiming the dole. People are undercutting so much so that if he was going to actually get a job he would have to work for £30 per day. Take out all the driving around, quoting etc he gets more if he stays on the dole!!! This is a served time tradesman!!
How is this happening are English people that desperate for work that they do it for nothing???

[VHG]

>>>are English people that desperate for work that they do it for nothing???

No but Polish (and other Eastern Europeans), and illegal immigrants, are.

And they dont need as much money because they live 12 to a house, or live in someones shed at the end of the garden.

In fact there is a huge problem now of people building structures at the end of their garden and then renting them out to immigrant families.

Another example of this country being dragged down to 3rd world levels.

http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/media-centre/news/ealing-illegal-immigrants

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/berkshire/8405312.stm

Next thing you know our prime minister will be going to places like India and pleading with them to do more business with us.

[honeydip]

VHG I have always been pro immigration but I dont think there can be any other explanation to why this has happened. I never thought of that. So immigration makes it look good on paper but screws everyone else who is trying to make their way. I feel like a bit of an idiot now

[DJHawkes]

It's not news to me, it started 3 years ago or thereabouts, my OH is a timeserved joiner with 35 years experience and he had 18 months of nothing for the first time ever, the building sites don;t want skilled trademen anymore they want odd job men and half of them can;t even read plans let alone apply them and spot the errors.
He did his SITE MANAGER CSCS for managers ans supervisors and after shelling out for that he's never looked back, he had his HNC from his apprenticeship back in the 70s and all that experience and that's what's paid off now, he's on £42K and loving it, still some hands on but mainly site managing, it's worth the outlay and definately there is work there as the odd jo men the firms use have no clue and need to be watched at every turn
http://www.veritas-consulting.co.uk/blog/cscs-cards-for-managers-and-supervisors-the-new-route/

[TTG]

The situation will be a lot worse on January 1st 2014. http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/features/setimes/blogreview/2013/02/16/blog-03

[magsmay]

Sorry but he's doing something wrong or telling porkies - OH pays labourers day rate £50 -70 a day -most tradesmen won't come out for less that £15 -20 per hour. All our subbies won't do a job for less even for cash. How can he claim Job Seekers if he's been self-employed?

[DJHawkes]

£15 - £20 ph? Not up here, they're chasing £12 ph jobs here like it's a gold rush and fighting for them, not that there is much , gotta say £30 per day is kinds low, I'm on over twice that a day in my job.

[honeydip]

labourers cost £20 per day now in biringham. You can get them cheaper too

[DJHawkes]

actually yes that's a good point, ask at the benefit office for a hand out when your self employed and it's always the same answer, 'you took the good now take the bad' if he's ill he'll get ESA basic

[Old_Geezer]

It may suit businesses to hire cheaply, but at some point they will wonder why no one has the money to buy their goods/services any more.

[DJHawkes]

honeydip is that a 3 and a half hour day? You do know the NMW is £6.09 ph don;t you? even with -20% cash in hand that's still more than £20-£30 a day.

[honeydip]

Well he isnt ill thats the thing

[honeydip]

DJ thats a standard 8 hour day. When you get building firms with people working for cash you can get away weith it. They will probably be claiming the dole too

[DJHawkes]

then he's not claiming dole either, if his wife is working he's not entitled to any state top up, them's the rules

[DJHawkes]

honeydip, have you just jumped in a delorean? who the heck risks doing that these days? lol

[magsmay]

Dotty -OH is a stonemason builder and we are in NE England -we hire a lot of subbies for the electrics, plumbing etc and the going rate is £15 - 20 per hour. Our 16 year old apprentice gets £30 a day and time off for college. Wish we could get labourers for £30 a day cash -they just won't turn up for that amopunt where we are!

[DJHawkes]

I know I don't blame them, why would anyone work for less than NMW even none legit! but site joiners here struggle to get £12 ph and then there's the 20%

[magsmay]

yes dotty - we de-registered from vat -means we can't claim any back on supplies but we were losing work having to add 20% to Estimates.