Thread: Are our tradies getting paid too much

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

How old are you? If you are a young manager trying to give feedback to a 50+ tradesman is the proverbial trying to teach grannie to suck eggs. He most likely knows more and better and regards you as a bloody ignorant upstart.

At big shops where I worked as a young fitter, if you had a problem you automatically went to the old guys for advice and help. They knew the job.

The older Pensions Officers at DSS were disliked by the young turks from Procedures and Policy in state offices and Canberra.The YT's would be giving a presentation of some new & great initiative that was to work wonders when a grizzled veteran would pipe up " We tried that under ( another name) in 1983 and it was a disaster. Got quietly dropped before the Minister's career was stuffed"

I guess we are in quite different trades. Over the past 4 months I've fired 2 'tradesman' over the age of 50 and have 2 more that will be going in the next week or so. I'm in quite a physical trade and do make compensation for the older tradesman, so it has nothing to do with that. I've worked for myself or been supervising for the last 10 years. Over that time I've not kept one tradesman over the age of 45.
The reason I've had for firing these tradesman is lack of care for what they are doing, missing because of substance issues, turning up to work or returning to work after lunch whilst under the influence of substances (varies from alcohol, cannabis, heroin, meth), having a problem with being told what to do from someone younger than them even though I was paying their wage.

If I have the choice of a 20 something year old tradesman or a 45+ year old tradesman, I will pick the 20 something any day of the week!

It may be that you have not been looking at a representative sample.

There must be a few that were available for you to employ because their previous employment had been terminated for the very behaviour you described.

Maybe you have just been copping everyone else's rejects.

Originally Posted by vnx205

Maybe you have just been copping everyone else's rejects.

I just think that most brickies are rejects Myself included

Originally Posted by Siska

I guess we are in quite different trades. Over the past 4 months I've fired 2 'tradesman' over the age of 50 and have 2 more that will be going in the next week or so. I'm in quite a physical trade and do make compensation for the older tradesman, so it has nothing to do with that. I've worked for myself or been supervising for the last 10 years. Over that time I've not kept one tradesman over the age of 45.
The reason I've had for firing these tradesman is lack of care for what they are doing, missing because of substance issues, turning up to work or returning to work after lunch whilst under the influence of substances (varies from alcohol, cannabis, heroin, meth), having a problem with being told what to do from someone younger than them even though I was paying their wage.

If I have the choice of a 20 something year old tradesman or a 45+ year old tradesman, I will pick the 20 something any day of the week!

Ok, so, what trade are you in? Male models, or advertising? Bob

Originally Posted by justinc

Here's my slant.

We charge out at $105/ hr. If I was to take into account the amount of work and work associated activity I do every week I personally would see less than $10/hr.

Working for yourself is a choice, I am lucky I enjoy it BUT it is hard.

I get very upset when people point at my $32,000 secondhand Lexus and make comments about my hourly rate

I say let ANYONE who is working for themselves have as much enjoyment of life as they can, I haven't even mentioned the obvious stress related illnesses and problems that crop up from self employment, shortening ones lifespan and taking them away from their families.

Leave them alone.

JC

EXTREMELY well said,i have been self employed for 20yrs,we are on call 24/7,at times VERY stressful.

If i was not well paid,i would give it away.......

JC,you have to park the Lexus around the back or up the street
People that make those kinds of comments usually have absolutely no idea what it takes to run a successful business.

We fix up those smart arse customers,wait until they have a major breakdown then don't
turn up
Same for the slow or non payers,& there are heaps of those around to increase the stress levels...

Is Siska paying much above award? Maybe his tradies are coming from the lower end of the market. If respect for their work and themselves (substance abuse??) is that low at that age then they have a problem. I was always taught to leave every job as if it had my signature on it.

I really can't stand the guys who are on some sort of power trip and after a good job I only get the cheque on the steps of the courthouse! Thankfully it doesn't happen very often.

Hey Siska we are not all rejects ......