I'm so angry . . . .

[paulhumphries]

Hehe, 1400GPB a month is more than I've ever earned, so don't moan!

At one time, in late 80's, there weren't enough qualified people at my grade so I got asked to work in another area for 3 weeks - it ended up at 12 months.
I commuted 174 miles round trip every day but got a capped non taxable allowance of £400 per week ! This was on top of my salary !
This was based on how much they would have had to pay in hotel bills if I had stayed instead of traveling to the area.
I've never been so well off as we had just bought a 6 month old car so I didn't want to put mileage on it and used a banger (6 year old Cortina estate) and therefore kept most of the allowance.
At the same time my wife was needed in London so used to commute from Stoke every day - took just over 2 hours from home to office. Train fare was £90 + per day and she also got meal allowance, overtime rate etc due to amount of time she spent travelling each day.
As much as I disliked Margret Thatcher for what she did to my job (Civil Service) her policies gave me & my wife a wonderful lifestyle for a few years.
BTW the Cortina estate still exists and is in almost perfect conditon as I did a few jobs then fully rustproofed. A mate eventually persuaded me to sell to him and it now lives in France.
I replaced it with a mint 3.4 XJ6 paid for with money saved out of the mileage allowance

Paul Humphries

[Kevin]

I know what you mean Paul as the 80's were a good time for expense allowances overtime etc and although I am still in a full time job for the same company I don't earn as much as I did 10-15 years ago, I think its called progress by the accountants (no offence intended if anyone on here is one) further up the chain.

[aupickup]

well i was never in a position to get any allowances, allways self employed, but i was better off in the 70`s to 80`s
i earn less now than i ever did
is that progress, but i am glad i only have 9 years left LOl working

[paulhumphries]

I know what you mean Paul as the 80's were a good time for expense allowances overtime etc and although I am still in a full time job for the same company I don't earn as much as I did 10-15 years ago, I think its called progress by the accountants (no offence intended if anyone on here is one) further up the chain.

It was a shock "when the bubble burst" and I was left with just basic wage and no allowances / overtime etc.
Luckilly I'd used the extra income, whilst is lasted, to pay off debts, do work on the house, buy a caravan and other things which I could then look back and see where the money had gone.
Now both my wife & I have had to take early retirement and struggle on small pensions which comes to less than £1000 pm together- and we still have mortgage, other debts, young child still at school and all the other expenses of life.
My wife has recently retrained and qualified as a NVQ III Teaching assistant.
Guess what - no local jobs available unless she is willing to travel up to 40 miles round trip a day for p/t work on short term contract so the net amount she would get each week would work out at around £50 after expenses or equivalent to £3 per hour.
You get all the "retrain for a better life" adverts yet we have found the real live result is there are few jobs for people when retrained and you are often just as well off working in a local retail store for minimum wage - and no stress or hassle.
Sorry for moan - it's old age so comes with being over 50

Paul Humphries

[aupickup]

but then this country has kicked us all the b ++++++s

[aupickup]

and i do feel sorry for all the youngsters as well, they will never have it like we did in the early years, when life was simpler and more rewarding
also we did not have to worry about work, and we did have a lot of fun
well i know i did, and many others alike

accountants and insurance companies run our buisenesss now, shortcuts every where, no fun at work anymore

[paulhumphries]

well i was never in a position to get any allowances, allways self employed, but i was better off in the 70`s to 80`s
i earn less now than i ever did
is that progress, but i am glad i only have 9 years left LOl working

Did I read you are a time served / qualified joiner ?
My brother in law is one of those.
He got fed up of being laid off / made redundant and now works for a big window company.
He doesn't like it and keep threatening to leave but the company are short of qualified people so keep offering incentives to keep him on - he's now foreman. Still not on high rate of pay though.
He says the company now take on foreign workers instead of British. Whether that is because shortage of British joiners or they can employ "non British" cheaper I don't know but he says they are good workers- even if they don't speak English
He's had enough. His skills (and age) will allow him to emigrate to Australia so that is their plan in next couple of years.
This isn't all because of work but they cann't have children and found adopting too stressful despite many years of try and and being on the approved list so want a completely new start elsewhere.

Paul Humphries

[aupickup]

hello paul
yes i am a time served hardwood joiner
i used to have my own buiseness, well since i was 21, now 56
i used to employ about 8 carpenters years ago, and through the years i started my own workshop, but had to give it up last year, increasing, rents and rates on workshop, insurances etc, just could not keep it going, so lost prety much everything.
i really dont know the answer, but foreign workers will work cheaper, and take a lot of pride in their work, they will also work longer hours and of course send a percentage of their earnings back home, so in a few years they can go back to a house etc.
being fully skilled these days is not as good, but the time will come when we have no skilled men and women in this country,
and i also do not enjoy the trade that i came into and used to love

progress is cnc machines now, and workshops will only need assemblers which any one can do, as is happening where i work
is this progress ???????

at least i can still enjoy my moggies, all be it a car now, and hope i can for many years to come

youngsters do not want to come in the trades any more, they want exec jobs etc
the media dictates that we must have this and that, and to this end they go into highly stressfull jobs

[twincamman]

Furrtiv, I have Asperger's and I'm mildly affected by Tourrette's. You're in good company, 'cos I reckon Issigonis also had AS!

[paulk]

Just to stick my 10p in

I put a job on the system with JOBcentre plus this week.

A few un related but interesting points

1) So far both times I've called Its been someone from another european country who's been in the call centre(call centre is in UK)
1 German and a (possibly) french accent

2) You try advertising a Manufacturing job on the system. Seems extremely difficult to get Manufacturing job codes. Hundreds of service industry ones but not much manufacturing and the operators just aren't used to the manufacturing ones coming up.


3) Although I admit the pay on this job ain't great the only 2 people to apply so far are 1 european and 1 other foreign national. I don't care where someone comes from (can't really i'm 1/4 Latvian myself and the rest of the family scots,welsh,french might even be a tiny bit of english) but if the locals don't want the job I'm going to have to employ someone from elsewhere.

[Orkney]

Used to find when advertising jobs like that that a good percentage 50% + would turn up 'ere mate i dont want the job but can you just sign this to prove ive applied'
Ok was low skill type stuff, not fantastic money but steady. Dont know if the same still applies i.e. to be eligable to be a jobseeker & get allowance you must do xyz.
All i know is the memory is that it was a waste of everyones time

[Furrtiv]

And unfortunately, for those of us British folks who are willing to start on a fairly low wage and train up on the job, or just work hard for a steady, secure wage, all the work has now gone to foreign nationals (and good luck to them, they're hard workers). This is probably because a vicious circle has been started where employers have too many British lazyitis sufferers just turn up to get their dole book signed (yes, you still have to do that), so they offer the job to the hard-working, conscientious foreigners, and when hard-working, conscientious Brits turn up the jobs have all gone.
I'm wondering if there's a shortage of skilled workers and cheap labour in places like Poland?
Another thing that bugs me is that I'm in none of the prime age groups to get Government help, or so it seems; under-21's can get apprenticeships in all sorts of trades, and over-forties can often get a lot of non-financial help. I was basically told; you're expected to look after yourself. Not too much of a problem, but when it comes to re-traingin and suchlike, the youngsters appear to get priority.
Then again, my father-in-law has just turned sixty. He's still pretty fit, you wouldn't think he was that age to look at him, and he's very clever in a practical way, good at making stuff, good at driving - no-one wants him. He's desperate for a different job because the company he's in is badly run and he's on relatively low pay for what he does. But no-one wants to employ him because of his age. I suppose it's because they don't want to employ anyone who will only have five years until retirement, but it seems that people don't stay in jobs for that long now anyway.
Employment seems like such a biased and weird thing.

Bitter? Moi?

[aupickup]

when i lost my workshop and had to look for a job, i was told that i was to old at 55

[paulhumphries]

when i lost my workshop and had to look for a job, i was told that i was to old at 55

A mate is senior (Benefit Office manager) in Dept. of Employement.
He says "unofficially" I am unemployable even if my health improved and was capable of working.
Existing / previous health problems and age (50) means nobody is going to take me on when they can get someone else younger and fitter.
To be honest I agree - if I was an employer and was given the choice between me and someone healthy / 40 then I know who I'd choose
Doesn't make you feel too good about yourself though.
I now understand Victor Meldrew as I am starting to feel the same.


Paul Humphries.

[dave1949]

But no-one wants to employ him

I've read every post on this thread with both sadness and joy,the last one from Furrtiv decided me to add my two penneth.
I was employed by a national building society for 27 years and at my choice took redundancy when offered.Started a Franchise business which i ran for almost 10 years with my son. I got to a stage when i just totally lost interest and sold it back to the franchisor.My son still works for the company running a complete branch operation from the knowledge he has learnt from the beginning with me.At the age of 54 i took 12 months out and then realised i needed to find more income.
I too was refused job seekers allowance,my expensive accountant had advised not to pay NI stamps when i was self employed???
i then, in the local paper weekly job adds, so Handyman Reqd. im still reasonably fit and competent in many DIY skills,applied and got the job.That was over three years ago.6 hrs per day,flexi time,home by 1.45pm.The monies not great and i still search for alternatives,Thats were i agree with the majority of comments on employment its not easy these days.I have been fortunate.But the government cant take away good old honest principles and your sense of humour to name but two.if you wake up in the morning its another good day.Quote from my good old grandad.

[aupickup]

all very well but it dont all ways pay the bills