Think your alzeimers must be kickin ther Gavin,thort it was your mate that sent the man to Doha,you must no who did it,being by road or bye ship from Europe to uae…lol…what happened to the trailer,the mistery goes on,its all good reading tho eh,lol.
Thort u were involved lar in the man to Qatar via Dubai,bit weird that post Gavin,thort it was your mates truck in Ireland,confusion ■■?
David Miller:
Got it Freddy.It was Grangewood - probably before you joined - and he was an owner driver who ran a Daf 2800 that he purchased at the same time as Jimmy Buckle purchased his and Jimmy’s was a W reg so that makes it 1979.
David
W reg David 1981 T& V 1979
I’ve been reading about recent construction projects in Dubai and Qatar, and there is much evidence that many Middle East companies are run by slavedrivers, subjecting immigrant workers of all nationalities to danger and inhumane working/living conditions. This is in contrast to the pages of this and other threads about Middle East work- the impression I get from this forum is that the Arabs were good people to work with, usually willing to lend a hand or share a meal/pot of tea/bong. What is going on out there? Have things changed in the past 50-odd years?
Sure there are bad employers in the Middle East as there are bad employees, which you will find anywhere in the world.
The biggest problem in the Middle East is the Asian recruitment agents who charge these poor un-skilled labourers around 1500 usd to get them a job and also lie to them regarding the terms and conditions of employment, so from arrival there is discontentment because things are not what was promised.
The average Asian labourer will earn about 500 usd per month plus food allowance and shared accommodation which is approximately three times what they could earn at home……if indeed they could find a job……The shared accommodation is invariably better than what they have at home as most are poor village people who live in shacks and get their water from a well or a river…….
No one is forced to go to the GCC states to work, except maybe by circumstances, but bad press always makes good reading………
I know very few westerners in the Middle East who are making three times what they can at home, that ended in back the 90’s.
In effect, the Middle East is mirroring what happened in the USA and Europe many years ago………It is being developed by cheap immigrant labour……Ooops……. As it still is in the UK…
[zb]
anorak:
I’ve been reading about recent construction projects in Dubai and Qatar, and there is much evidence that many Middle East companies are run by slavedrivers, subjecting immigrant workers of all nationalities to danger and inhumane working/living conditions. This is in contrast to the pages of this and other threads about Middle East work- the impression I get from this forum is that the Arabs were good people to work with, usually willing to lend a hand or share a meal/pot of tea/bong. What is going on out there? Have things changed in the past 50-odd years?
Hi Gordon, You are digging deep into the photo album for this one. This was taken many moons ago, but I will start off with two names.
From the left Number one Dai Blunt
Number Two Billy Thomas.
I am scratching my head for the others but I am not to sure. So come on you others get your old grey matter going.
Regards Jamie.
A Scot Lost in the Valley’s
P.S. was the Kevin someone was asking about (Kevin Llewellin) on for Hicks.
Hi Jamie,
You are absolutely right with the first two, the next two I know as I took the photo, I believe this was took in Tartous around 1980.
Regards
Gordon
Forest of Dean
Glos.
P.S. Fred asked me a couple of pages ago did I know a Kevin, I can’t recall him it was a long time ago.
Hello Anorak
I worked in Doha for 6 months starting 1977 with a crew of 9 Indians and visited with them and socialised with them. I was in Saudi Arabia and Iraq and spent a fair amount of time in best part of the Arab states for 6 years. We were all there to make money and took the same chance. What we earned was relative to our experience and “living wage at home”. I spent 7 months in Iraq (1979 - 1980) and was earning over £400 per week - straight in the bank - all expenses paid. The Press write lies. No other way to describe it. Yes - It is tough and no doubt dangerous at times and shortcuts are taken but you take the chance. Working conditions are a huge issue in the UK and Europe, but if you work down there the Devil take the hindermost and You just do it, or you apply to go home and stay at home until thrown out. The talk about people being exploited - WE started the slave trade. Jim
Sorry gentlemen - a bit off topic there.
Third from Left is Robert Hobbs and Billy Thomas has much shorter and whiter hair know, saw Billy and Dai Blunt 10 days ago, both looking well
regards Stephen
M&C Jamie:
Hi Gordon, You are digging deep into the photo album for this one. This was taken many moons ago, but I will start off with two names.
From the left Number one Dai Blunt
Number Two Billy Thomas.
I am scratching my head for the others but I am not to sure. So come on you others get your old grey matter going.
Regards Jamie.A Scot Lost in the Valley’s
P.S. was the Kevin someone was asking about (Kevin Llewellin) on for Hicks.
jmc jnr:
Hello Anorak
I worked in Doha for 6 months starting 1977 with a crew of 9 Indians and visited with them and socialised with them. I was in Saudi Arabia and Iraq and spent a fair amount of time in best part of the Arab states for 6 years. We were all there to make money and took the same chance. What we earned was relative to our experience and “living wage at home”. I spent 7 months in Iraq (1979 - 1980) and was earning over £400 per week - straight in the bank - all expenses paid. The Press write lies. No other way to describe it. Yes - It is tough and no doubt dangerous at times and shortcuts are taken but you take the chance. Working conditions are a huge issue in the UK and Europe, but if you work down there the Devil take the hindermost and You just do it, or you apply to go home and stay at home until thrown out. The talk about people being exploited - WE started the slave trade. Jim
Sorry gentlemen - a bit off topic there.
Thanks for the reply. It’s not off-topic at all, IMO: the experiences and viewpoints of people who worked in the ME in the 1960s and onward are fascinating, especially when set against the present-day.
Were the Indians on the same money?
Hi Anorak. The general rule was you got a months wage for a weeks work relative to your home wage. Two of our best Indian guys lived frugally and stuck it for two years. They intended to start their own businesses, but by the time the two years was up they teamed up and started a partnership that thrived and they now have a big factory on the outskirts of Mumbai producing structural steel buildings. Whilst in Doha they worked for Boulton and Paul and had a better set-up than say, the Egyptians or Lebanese who were living in tents - Twelve of them shared an apartment. By the way, whilst in Doha I met an ex Asian Transport driver who was pulling two 40ft containers at a time between the Emirates and Doha docks. He had a black F89 and he was a big bloke, about 40ish with brylcreamed hair combed straight back and was clean shaven.
Most of the wagons coming up were yankee units driven by Arabs who despite their huge sleepers , kipped down under a trailer. When I was in Mosul in northern Iraq, Turkish 6 wheeler D series fords lumbered through with unbelievable loads. What they had in their diesel tanks would have cost them their operators licence in the UK never mind the stuff crammed on the back. Cheers. Jim
jmc jnr:
Hello Anorak
I worked in Doha for 6 months starting 1977 with a crew of 9 Indians and visited with them and socialised with them. I was in Saudi Arabia and Iraq and spent a fair amount of time in best part of the Arab states for 6 years. We were all there to make money and took the same chance. What we earned was relative to our experience and “living wage at home”. I spent 7 months in Iraq (1979 - 1980) and was earning over £400 per week - straight in the bank - all expenses paid. The Press write lies. No other way to describe it. Yes - It is tough and no doubt dangerous at times and shortcuts are taken but you take the chance. Working conditions are a huge issue in the UK and Europe, but if you work down there the Devil take the hindermost and You just do it, or you apply to go home and stay at home until thrown out. The talk about people being exploited - WE started the slave trade. Jim
Sorry gentlemen - a bit off topic there.
We started the slave trade?
More about Mickey Willis.
I think I am wrong Freddie and we are talking about 2 different men. The Mickey Willis that was a Grangewood subbie had an orange DAF registered number RAR966R coupled to a tatty ex-SAS fridge and Jimmy Buckle also had an orange one registration RAR963R which Jimmy traded for an Iveco and finally for the W reg DAF. But ‘our’ Mickey Willis very seldom did continental and certainly did not go anywhere far away, preferring UK work and lived in Orpinton.
For these details I am indebted to our ex-Transport Manager!
David
Hello 66. The Portugese beat us to the transportation game, but we soon joined with the French, Dutch etc. According to Wicypedia the people were sold by African dealers in the first place, so I am wrong - They started the process, the plantations, mostly British in the 1500s supplied the market. Jim
David Miller:
More about Mickey Willis.I think I am wrong Freddie and we are talking about 2 different men. The Mickey Willis that was a Grangewood subbie had an orange DAF registered number RAR966R coupled to a tatty ex-SAS fridge and Jimmy Buckle also had an orange one registration RAR963R which Jimmy traded for an Iveco and finally for the W reg DAF. But ‘our’ Mickey Willis very seldom did continental and certainly did not go anywhere far away, preferring UK work and lived in Orpinton.
For these details I am indebted to our ex-Transport Manager!
David
Interesting bit of research David, as I previously mentioned that young Mickey would have been too young in our day as he was quite a kid when I visited his dad’s (RIP) house. I am putting a photo on here that I posted a couple of years ago as there are faces that you have recently mentioned and I thought it may raise some interest - Fred
If the Devil could cast his net Freddie!
David
Hi Fred,
Were you taking the tablets back in the day.? Or were you sittng on a nail…
Such a pained expression.
Mick
Hello all, Anybody remember these transcons from Braintree ?
Tubbysboy:
Hello all, Anybody remember these transcons from Braintree ?
Danny, i remember helping your Old Chap Tubby repairing the ■■■■■■■ things !!!
Steve.