Electrical wages.

[rmc86uk]

Hi Everyone.

Over the last few years the rates of pay for Electricians has dropped or stayed the same as we all know. Over the last few days at his really started to grind me down with the state of the industry. Mainly due to the agencies ripping working men and women off. Doing some research and I cannot find a single article or campaign to get things back to how they should be. It looks like everyone has given up and doesn't give a ---- about their futures. Being a sub contractor myself and having no working rights I just think enough is enough but not sure where to start or how to get the ball rolling. There must be thousands of genuine Electricians and a lot on this forum who feel the same.

 

[Adam W]

Only every 'old' electrician I've ever spoken to.
This is what the unions reckon they're for, and the union supporters will tell you they do things behind closed doors to make things better for us, but so far I have seen little evidence of this.

 

[VoltzElectrical]

It's not just sparks, it's everywhere. With the sparks, it's supply and demand. Too many sparks for too few jobs, the price goes down.

Agencies aren't ripping people off, they are all in competition with each other making £1-2 an hour off each operative.

You won't get any ball rolling, nor will anyone else. That's the way it is now and I can't see it improving.

Want to earn more money? Find another career.

Sorry mate.

 

[snowhead]

The only way things will improve is WHEN the economy picks up and everyone starts spending money again.

 

[rmc86uk]

It's not just sparks, it's everywhere. With the sparks, it's supply and demand. Too many sparks for too few jobs, the price goes down.

Agencies aren't ripping people off, they are all in competition with each other making £1-2 an hour off each operative.

You won't get any ball rolling, nor will anyone else. That's the way it is now and I can't see it improving.

Want to earn more money? Find another career.

Sorry mate.

Not really just about earning more money but more about workers rights aswell. Our lass's Grandad back in the day was really into the Trade Union movement and he say's that I should join one but being a self employed sub contractor I really don't see how I'd benefit from joining one. Thanks for the responses guys and looks like I was right, nobody gives a ---- anymore!

 

[GMES]

As Voltz says it wont get better it will only get worse. it is the same with everything in this country we are a bunch of moaning sods, but we do nothing about it. Diesel, electricity, gas , water rates, council tax, who would have thought they could all get too the price level they are at now, but we carry on paying them. as a country we just pull our trousers down, bendover and take it up the :freak:

 

[ahtyrrell]

Thing is the problem is the Economy every one in a skilled job from electricians to truck drivers to mechanics are in the same boat this is especially apparent in the building trade and other manual jobs un skilled workers are at rock bottom.

 

[Octopus]

My Misses works for the NHS and due to her grade she isn't getting any rises so don't feel singled out for any special treatment.

 

[robbalaar86]

The problem isn't the economy as such. The problem is the mindset of the country. Office managers and unskilled paper pushers are more thought if than skilled tradesmen and women.

That won't change anytime soon.

Something has got to give. We as a nation need to stand up and say enough is enough.

However change has to start at home.

We have to stop ( me included) spending money on consumer products the apples the samsungs etc.

Vote with your feet only buy your diesel from a local garage screw shell etc.

That's just to start. How many of you are willing to start saying enough is enough ?

Just my thoughts anyway

 

[Essexboy7]

The only way things will improve is WHEN the economy picks up and everyone starts spending money again.

Mate without digging you out you dont seem to realize how things work.Since the start of the recession the building game in london and the southeast has been in an absolute boom.I am 45 and dont remember ever seeing so much work in my life.We have had the olympics that needed over a hundred thousand men,the athletes village that took thousands,The shard the tallest building in Europe with over a thousand blokes on it,westfield shopping centre over a thousand,a massive upgrade of the london underground for the olympics,Crossrail which has thousands working on it and i saw an article in the london evening standard that said there are more high rise tower blocks going up in london right now then at any time since the end of the second world war each one needing hundreds of men at any one time.

And still the money is crap.I regularly see ads for sparks in london at £11 an hour.We live in a capitalist society where wage levels are dictated to by supply and demand.

Lots of work plus few sparks equals high wages

Lots of work plus loads of sparks equals low wages

The problem is twofold.First of all is the mass immigration into this country.When labour opened the floodgates thousands and thousands of qualified sparks and chancers came to this country from Eastern Europe willing to work long hours for low wages because it was still ten times better then where they were coming from.Add to that all these fasttrack electrical courses churning out semi qualified sparks willing to work for peanuts.The employers absolutely love the new situation.They have solved the supply part of the equation.It is quite common for me to go on a job with 30 sparks and be the only English person there and in almost every single job i go on British workers are in the minority


As for the unions every single one of them fully supports this influx of foreign labour.All they are interested in is members dues.UNITE are the worst they were ready to sell us out over the BESNA deal it was only the sparks on the picket line who fought it off.Then you have the agency parasites who have no interest in seeing wages go up ,if anything they want to be able to go to an employer offering cheap labour to get the contractThis boom has to end at some point and then the work situation will get worse.People talk about it picking up if anything it will only go down

 

[guinnessgixer]

its the same for all trades, my mate is a gas engineer he now has to fit boilers for a days rate cos theres that much competition, but in with that he usually has to supply a boiler flu and clock at knocking on a grand! and there regs are worse than ours he has to completely resit his gas exam every 5 years, costing him mega bucks, how much would we wine if we had to resit every five years and you couldn't do elec work until we renewed?

 

[rmc86uk]

My Misses works for the NHS and due to her grade she isn't getting any rises so don't feel singled out for any special treatment.

Public Services are always in the media moaning about pay and pensions but will always get their 3% rise every year.

 

[rmc86uk]

The problem isn't the economy as such. The problem is the mindset of the country. Office managers and unskilled paper pushers are more thought if than skilled tradesmen and women.

That won't change anytime soon.

Something has got to give. We as a nation need to stand up and say enough is enough.

However change has to start at home.

We have to stop ( me included) spending money on consumer products the apples the samsungs etc.

Vote with your feet only buy your diesel from a local garage screw shell etc.

That's just to start. How many of you are willing to start saying enough is enough ?

Just my thoughts anyway

I agree mate this is the response we need!

 

[Octopus]

Public Services are always in the media moaning about pay and pensions but will always get their 3% rise every year.

How mis informed you are.

No payrises above a certain grade and I think only 1% below.

The only thing adding to your take home pay is the increase in the amount you can earn before you pay tax.

 

[i=p/u]

Sounds lovely, that's we working 48hrs a week and then boom!! Nothing for 2 weeks... The rich are rich they decide the rules..

 

[GLENNSPARK]

It's not just sparks, it's everywhere. With the sparks, it's supply and demand. Too many sparks for too few jobs, the price goes down.

Agencies aren't ripping people off, they are all in competition with each other making £1-2 an hour off each operative.

You won't get any ball rolling, nor will anyone else. That's the way it is now and I can't see it improving.

Want to earn more money? Find another career.

Sorry mate.

and this coming from an ex-teacher eh....lol
so come on then....what was your reason for jumping ship?

 

[robbalaar86]

I don't have all the answers, wish I did to challenge the toffs in power.

We need a working man to stick his neck on the line and break into politics. I'm willing to back anyone who says no to immigration. No to scroungers. Forget all this human rights rubbish.

I don't want to just sit here and take it. I want my little one to grow up proud of his country.

 

[Octopus]

I don't have all the answers, wish I did to challenge the toffs in power.

We need a working man to stick his neck on the line and break into politics. I'm willing to back anyone who says no to immigration. No to scroungers. Forget all this human rights rubbish.

I don't want to just sit here and take it. I want my little one to grow up proud of his country.

Unless a "new" Political party is formed, by the "man on the street" we've got no chance.

Now if I were in charge to become an MP you would need:

1. 10 years residence in the constituancy you want to serve

2. A minimum of 20 years experience in industry

3. Elections by the electorate to choose who would represent them


None of this university, advisor, safe seat rubbish.

Just for starters.....

Then anyone who is proved to have mislead the House or the electorate would be sacked.

MP's to have an expenses scheme written and managed by the finance directors of successful businesses - no receipt, no claim.

Utopia!

 

[tbs1983]

Its tough, but at the end of the day we as a world are becoming more and more reliant on electricity every day. Every damn thing is electric these days so the demand for electricians can surely only go up.
look around, Pubs,local shops and petrol stations are shutting left right and centre, public services are being cut everywhere, unemployment is 8 million.
I think were luckier than we realise

 

[SPARTYKUS]

My Misses works for the NHS and due to her grade she isn't getting any rises so don't feel singled out for any special treatment.

My missus too. It was. ( her NHS pay) frozen, years ago. i think she gets 2% in two years time. Work out what inflation have been over those 5 years and you end up with a substantial payCUT. And a sore bum. Because everything else has gone up.

I set my ( self employed) rates as is, 5 years ago. i have dropped them 5% since. With inflation thats a bag of sh0!e.