Why is it so hard to get a tradesman?

[cuttsie]

40 minutes ago, Slinny said:

Hi only houses I remember getting knocked down that were built in 60s or 70s are vic Hallam type that were not supposed to stop up for a great number of years flats on langsett road and some near to of east bank road  they were built by proper trades men doing proper what they called work and it was. . I was sub contract carrying the hod work on houses all over the place as far as I know none have been pulled down  some say sub contractors did not do job as good as lads on books sorry they were talking rubbish  

When you were Sub contract  if the job  was crap you did not get paid , on the books you had more protection from getting the sack especially if you was a union member .

Hassles Castles got thrown up because the price you got was not good enough so as you could not  take a bit of time , but I live on one of their estates now and the houses  look good , in fact they look better than when they were first built , A tribute to the bricklayers and carriers who worked on them . 

I was a union member for many years and the Union was crap , they brought us out on strike around 1963 ish , and were demanding one and and tanner rise on the basic pay .

I Was working on the Polytechnic with Joe Knight and Derick Brown we were already earning a lot more than what the union wanted but they sent a gang from Liverpool to threaten us so we came out .

When the strike was over (some members got time inc Liverpool mob ) but !!!!!!! guess what Tersons who we were working for stopped our bonus so we were worse of than before .

I came across this a lot of times when the Union made bad calls especially on the PWD  jobs .

[Slinny]

I George don’t remember strike in 63 .  remember one in 72 wages around then around 40 pounds we had cut week to 5 days then . Used to ask around but all seemed to be on around that amount of money . I was carrying to Arnold snape  and Harry fox used to be hassles star gang . We were working for northern ideal homes sub contract . We did not strike as many others did not . Also was not in any union . And never have been. But must say our wages went up from 40 to 60 pounds a week on average best time for me first 2wek holiday got colour tv  and only ever new car snapey said we will soon be bringing wages home in barrow and it will be worth nothing but what I hear there is very good wages to be had now .Albert fields junior tells me no where near as much graft .

[Slinny]

Hi again Ricky Tomlinson tv artist was one guy who got locked up and as fought it ever since . After strike 72.  I don,t know what he did wrong ..

[cuttsie]

19 minutes ago, Slinny said:

Hi again Ricky Tomlinson tv artist was one guy who got locked up and as fought it ever since . After strike 72.  I don,t know what he did wrong ..

The problem was that the building union was useless , I remember the Liverpool mob arriving on our site on Pond Street it was a case of come out or else , but when you needed them after the strike they were no where to be contacted , We ended up worse off after the strike working on the Polytechnic (Hallam Uni now ) .

I remember when we were on the Hyde Park flats (Public Works Dept)  The gaffers told our three man gang we had to manhandle concrete balustrades into position .(these weighed around a ton each ) we had to use bits of scaffold tube as rollers and risked these bloody great lumps of concrete falling on us or knackering up our backs , we got the Sheffield branch in from the Victoria Hall , The advise from them ,"do it or they will just get some one else to" bleedin useless they were .

[spilldig]

On 08/10/2021 at 10:36, El Cid said:

Those sorts of people are all around us, its just that the Government, Councils and charities do everything, the Conservative philosophy seems to be to look after number one.

The only thing is it was Blair who wanted everyone at university,  after that they rarely want manual jobs.

[Slinny]

Sorry but in Sheffield they shut steel works and all firms that worked around British steel I knew two of my old mates had small firms that contracted to them all furnace bricklayers that worked for them no more work pits all closed contractors gone tel me what were they supposed to do go on six months screams or stack shelves redundancy money does not last for ever full towns gone to nothing I am glad I never had that happen to me sorry but that is what I think and never will change my views on it