harrawaffa:
No. Certainly not here in central Scotland. They have a stranglehold on just about everything.
I like to keep an eye on what work is available just to be nosy really and over the last three or so months I think I could count on one hand the amount of direct employment jobs I’ve seen advertised.
Found that is the case am looking fulltime agency not giving me enough work hope January picks up glad tomorrow back to normal 
neybour of mine is a tug driver on felixstowe docks,thru an agency. hes only worked 1 day a week since xmas.
Last January and February were fairly normal on my agency, and I worked five days a week until the beginning of March when it seemed to slow down a bit, after two weeks of only working two days a week I brought my boating plans forward a few weeks and set off while the canals were still frozen over during “the Beast from the East” so as to not dilute my holiday pay and because I was fed up with working anyway.
I’ve been booked for five days next week and as far as I’m aware the job I’m on is “ongoing” although I’m planning to go away boating again from mid-March until September anyway.