The changing construction industry and agencies.

[randomeddy]

Although I served my appreniceship in toolmaking in a machine shop,it was boring (ha) so it seemed like a good idea to change careers and work in the construction industry.This was about 15 yrs ago and the last few years I have been regretting the move.Nobody sems to take on permanent staff any more,it is all agency work,they are all matey and freindly when you are earning them money but as soon as the work dries up they forget you in a day.The permanent staff some of the companies have that I come across are so complacent that they cant see just how bone idle and hopeless they have become.
I went to a job in a school with one companies top fitters,he isolated the wrong valves in the plant room which meant us draining down far more than we should have which caused problems later on.When we actually got stuck in to the work he kept wrongly going through what we were doing,I ended up saying to him 'listen mate,if you say we are putting tee's there and not elbows I will scream' I ended up taking charge and explaining over again how to do what we were doing,if I hadnt,the system just would not have worked.This bloke had worked for them for years,perhaps I should have let him make a cock up of it all but it is not in my nature.Few weeks later I was dropped at a moments notice while he carried on with a permanent job.
Bitter and twisted? me? dead right I am.

[Stu R]

randomeddy said:

Although I served my appreniceship in toolmaking in a machine shop,it was boring

This made me chuckle far more than it ought to have

[GadgeS3C]

Stu R said:

randomeddy said:

Although I served my appreniceship in toolmaking in a machine shop,it was boring

This made me chuckle far more than it ought to have

Yeah, bet most of the work went round and round endlessly

[hairyben]

Thats the industry in general I'm afraid

Did a couple years via agy (I'm a sparks) and being treated like st is something agys and employers feel is a contractual obligation.

I've been threatened to be sued cos I was used as a scapegoat for the contractor ballsing up a massive job, been lied to about hours/rates then had abuse screamed at me down the phone for walking off the job when we found the agy had lied, been fired on the spot for asking for materials to work with because the boss was "in a bad mood" that day then hays phoned me a month later and asked if I could go back for free for a day to help them unravel the mess they'd created by using labourers to continue the electrics... on top of the firm in question still owing me £1k+ they had no intention of paying anyway!

Trades are a real good job if you're not too smart and can just about wing it. But if you're sharp enough to be a properly good tradesman it's a pretty poor career, you can do better, get more money and more respect.