But he's Polish!

[krankee]

I’ve been going to Asda, Erith, over the last few days, and whilst the subject of Polish drivers has been mentioned elsewhere, I’ve decided to start a new thread.

From what I’ve gleaned, Freshlinc are paying them £60 per day. Presumably, plus accommodation. Turners. I don’t know the rate, but allegedly, they were accommodating them on pallets in an old warehouse until, they received a visit from Environmental Services, whereupon they purchased a house where they could stay. How many to a house? I’m not sure.

As to their standard of driving. From what I’ve seen, many have yet to take on board the fact that in some circumstances, and I express this reluctantly, you HAVE to block the buggers to get anywhere. Reversing onto bays? I could almost have been tipped in less time than it took some of them to shunt backwards and forwards. And then when they get a green light, do they get their keys and clear the bay? No, they try and wait for the paperwork.

And the regular staff are not happy. Their job is made much harder because they are expected to baby-sit the new arrivals.

The reasoning behind the title. A German driver was on a bay and had not pressed the button to change the light (and release the door). The goods in clerk, although ethnic, explained to the German driver that he needed to press the button. When the driver failed to understand, in typical British fashion, he repeated the same sentence, but in a louder voice. Whereupon a Polish driver lead him outside and demonstrated/explained what he needed to do.

Followed by the exclamation, “But he’s Polish”

Obviously oblivious to the concept that drivers, of whatever nationality, will assist their colleagues wherever possible. Notwithstanding, of course, that a Pole would have a smattering of German.

Is Geography still taught in our skools?

[eddie_snax]

I think that the clerical staff at most of these places are soon going to need Polish lessons loading timber at 4 berth on Tilbury docks this week, similar situation. The lass at the window where you put your papers was getting no where in trying to explain to this Pole what he had to do, didnt have a word of English{the driver not the girl}, so this other driver working for Nolan transport, a fellow pole puts him right, i didnt see who the 1st one was working for, but there werent no foriegn motors outside. Anyway when the checker came out to check my load, he was having a right old moan about it, saying that it is getting well regular for that to happen, and they arent impressed, like he said if they were driving a motor from there home country that one thing, but to come here with out a word of the language, and try to do this job . I wouldnt be surprised to see some sought off action being taken by some of these places, on health and safety grounds…

[laybybobb]

In reply to Krankee :

So what? Everything in your post says you have a problem with anyone of a Polish origin … racist ?

I don’t understand what all the fuss is about ■■

If you lived in a deprived country where driving a wagon paid you the equivalent in our money of £10/week and you heard that the country across the water was paying £300/week, you’d be off like a rocket if you had an ounce of sense! I know I would!

There’s no point blaming them! Blame the government for allowing it to happen and instead of whinging about it on here where you’ve absolutely zero chance of getting anything done about it, go and start a demo outside Blair’s office if it bothers you that much !!

Someone on here starts a new thread every week whinging about Eastern Europeans taking all our jobs and it’s about time you either went and did something constructive about it or kept quiet !!!

[eddie_snax]

laybybobb:
Someone on here starts a new thread every week whinging about Eastern Europeans taking all our jobs and it’s about time you either went and did something constructive about it or kept quiet !!!

I cant speak for Krankee, but i think that some one will do something about it, even if its only free english lessons. Like i said earlier about tlbury docks, they are getting sick off having to spend so much time explaining things to these lads, and they still dont understand, and that must go for health and safety notices aswell. Having said that, i agree with what you said about coming here to earn better, well in comparison with there home rates anyway, but it would not be out of the question to expect that they might learn a smattering of the language before they arrive.

[jammymutt]

laybybobb:
instead of whinging about it on here where you’ve absolutely zero chance of getting anything done about it,

And there was me thinking this was an open forum for truck drivers to discuss their daily moans and groans, SSSSHHHH!!! nobody say anything else if it involves trucks or truck driving !!!.

[paul_b]

i’ve made my veiws clear on foreign hauliers operating in the uk but to be fair you can’t knock the lads who come over here to earn a living when all you hear all week from brittish drivers, especially on here is “i wouldn’t get out of bed for that money” and “i’m not working them hours” blah blah blah
put yourselves in their shoes, you go to a foreign country where they drive on the other side of the road and can’t speak a word of the language, that takes some bottle!

[quinny]

A former employer of mine,has taken on 9 Polish drivers,6 on nights and 3 on days,and while I personally can’t knock the lads for wanting to better themselves,in my opinion,if you want to live and work in a foreign country,then you should at least learn basic language.

Take for example,a former employer of mine…

The drivers they have,have no grasp whatsoever of our language,to the extent that when they fill in a defect report on a vehicle,they fill it in using they’re native language!!! Not really any good if the fitter can’t,(And doesn’t,because I know him.) speak Polish.

It’s now that bad,that they’ve advertised for a fitter,IN POLAND.

Like I say,at the end of the day,as long as they pay their way in our country with their taxes,etc,I haven’t got a problem.What I do object to,is companies exploiting the guys for cheap labour.

Ken.

[tc]

laybybobb:
In reply to Krankee :

So what? Everything in your post says you have a problem with anyone of a Polish origin … racist ?

The way I read Krankee’s post was drivers help drivers no matter of their origin, also stating facts does not make you a racist.

[wheel_nut]

I know dozens of drivers who went out to Holland to earn a lot of money. they also drove on the wrong side of the road and spoke a strange language.

Out of the dozens who went I would be surprised if more than a couple of them learnt Dutch.

A truck driver is a truck driver and some of the more senior drivers can remember when they used to help each other. Dont suggest offering one a cup of tea, as you will get slated on TruckNet

On the matter of having to explain the site rules! If it is a health and safety matter, then pictorial signs should be used. we have English kids who cannot read after leaving school.

I honestly cannot see the difference! the Poles or other drivers are taking jobs that cannot be filled by our own workforce

[jammymutt]

Wheel Nut:
taking jobs that cannot be filled by our own workforce

Probably because

our own workforce

dont want to work for the pittance paid by most companies amenities have gone up, council tax has gone up, fuel has gone up, income tax and nat ins have gone up but i hear the price of spuds has come down!!!.

Rather than pay the British workforce a decent wage some companies find it easier to import a workforce, and as usual we will all just sit around and let it happen.

[smcaul]

laybybobb:
In reply to Krankee :

So what? Everything in your post says you have a problem with anyone of a Polish origin … racist ?

I don’t understand what all the fuss is about ■■

If you lived in a deprived country where driving a wagon paid you the equivalent in our money of £10/week and you heard that the country across the water was paying £300/week, you’d be off like a rocket if you had an ounce of sense! I know I would!

There’s no point blaming them! Blame the government for allowing it to happen and instead of whinging about it on here where you’ve absolutely zero chance of getting anything done about it, go and start a demo outside Blair’s office if it bothers you that much !!

Someone on here starts a new thread every week whinging about Eastern Europeans taking all our jobs and it’s about time you either went and did something constructive about it or kept quiet !!!

I think you have read what you wanted to read in Krankee’s post, I read it to mean that drivers help drivers no matter what their race or where they come from, I didn’t find it in the least bit racist. Maybe you are just a little too touchy and a bit to PC correct. All this is highlighting that companies are using cheap labour whilst those of us who want to earn a decent living in a job we love doing a sensible and SAFE amount of hours, don’t see what the problem with that is.

I used to be able to earn a good wage a few years ago,but in real terms my wages are dropping not rising, now this is due to cheap labour being imported from somewhere else. I would suggest Laybybob that if you have a good job you like then enjoy it whilst you can, It may not be around for too long.

[jonah_1]

laybybobb:
If you lived in a deprived country where driving a wagon paid you the equivalent in our money of £10/week and you heard that the country across the water was paying £300/week, you’d be off like a rocket if you had an ounce of sense! I know I would!

Not true they are earning around double what they can earn in Poland not 30 times.I was talking to a driver who came off a Polish run last year.

But having said that I still dont blame them for coming over.
I still dont understand why employers take them on if the dont have a basic understanding of the language

The cynic in me says it’s because if they dont understand whats being said to them then it’s easier for the employer to take advantage of them when it comes to divying up time…

eddie snax:
Like i said earlier about tlbury docks, they are getting sick off having to spend so much time explaining things to these lads, and they still dont understand, and that must go for health and safety notices aswell.

read this

http://trucknetuk.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=8777&highlight=tilbury+docks

[krankee]

laybybobb:
So what? Everything in your post says you have a problem with anyone of a Polish origin … racist ?

Thank you for those few kind words.

I find it unfortunate that you have resorted to a tabloid mentality particularly as the indigenous Polish population is white European and the word Race relates to…………….I’ll let you look it up.

In light of the fact that Germany and Poland share a common border and that for a period in our recent history, the latter was occupied by the former, an event which, whilst not resulting in commonality of language, will undoubtedly have led to an interchange of expressions within the vocabularies of both. Neither have I forgotten the valuable contribution of the Free Polish Forces.

If you again study the post more carefully you will discover that any mockery was directed towards to the individual whose response to language differences was a Basil Fawltyesque technique of repeating the same words, but louder.

Everything else was a report of direct observations/conversations.

It is unfortunate that the bandying about of words such as Race and Diversity, by people who fail to understand the terms, does much to inhibit political discussion on, what many commentators feel is the much warranted and long overdue subject of, immigration.

Indeed, such attitudes can often be viewed as more insidious to our principles of freedom of speech that any of the military actions within living memory.

[jonah_1]

Krankee:

laybybobb:
So what? Everything in your post says you have a problem with anyone of a Polish origin … racist ?

Thank you for those few kind words.

I find it unfortunate that you have resorted to a tabloid mentality particularly as the indigenous Polish population is white European and the word Race relates to…………….I’ll let you look it up.

In light of the fact that Germany and Poland share a common border and that for a period in our recent history, the latter was occupied by the former, an event which, whilst not resulting in commonality of language, will undoubtedly have led to an interchange of expressions within the vocabularies of both. Neither have I forgotten the valuable contribution of the Free Polish Forces.

If you again study the post more carefully you will discover that any mockery was directed towards to the individual whose response to language differences was a Basil Fawltyesque technique of repeating the same words, but louder.

Everything else was a report of direct observations/conversations.

It is unfortunate that the bandying about of words such as Race and Diversity, by people who fail to understand the terms, does much to inhibit political discussion on, what many commentators feel is the much warranted and long overdue subject of, immigration.

Indeed, such attitudes can often be viewed as more insidious to our principles of freedom of speech that any of the military actions within living memory.

A quick translation for the lower intellect

doh!

[jase]

Its funny this is as every job i,ve applied for,i had to fill an application form in.If they can,t read or speak english then who is filling their forms in?

[robinhood_1984]

The company I recently started to work for as a forklift driver has 5 Estonians working for them now, atleast one of them speaks absoluetly no English at all. I had to work with him this week and it was almost impossible to get anything across. The other one I’ve come across does speak good English though.

I dont think anyone will object to companies employing these people to fill genuine shortages but the problem is, some companies go alot further than that and fill every vacancy with an East European automatically or even in some cases totally replace British workers with Poles, Norbert Dentressangle’s British opperation is a fine example of that, who’s British trucks now have Polish drivers as opposed to the British drivers who got made redundant on Dec 23 2004.

As for this argument being racist, I fail to see how that is the case, but fine, call it racist if you like. I’d rather be an employed racist doing the job I love than be an unemployed idiot who shakes the hand of every man who wants his job.

[wheel_nut]

jammymutt:

Wheel Nut:
taking jobs that cannot be filled by our own workforce

Probably because

our own workforce

dont want to work for the pittance paid by most companies amenities have gone up, council tax has gone up, fuel has gone up, income tax and nat ins have gone up but i hear the price of spuds has come down!!!.

Rather than pay the British workforce a decent wage some companies find it easier to import a workforce, and as usual we will all just sit around and let it happen.

Its not just gone up in Newark though, It has been rising at a dramatic rate since this government took charge.

If anyone has a gripe, it should be to Tony Blur, not towards some enterprising people who have got off their arse and come to the UK for employment.

All of these people are doing the same as me, working to pay bills and provide for family.

The companies who employ the migrants are in the same boat, they are controlled by the sleazy government.

If the polish are working for Tesco, I imagine that they will deduct NI and Income Tax from them too

[kate]

Its funny this is as every job i,ve applied for,i had to fill an application form in.*If they can,t read or speak english then who is filling their forms in?[/*quote]

Could be the company who 'supply ’ these drivers. There is a company who specialise in recruiting East European drivers, check their work history, and criminal records, etc - in their home country - prior to putting them to work.
I can’t remember the name of this recruitment company, but it’s advertised on the back of toilet doors at, amongst other places, Tibshelf Services.
(note to self - check out the name of said advertiser)

[wheel_nut]

Kate:

Its funny this is as every job i,ve applied for,i had to fill an application form in.*If they can,t read or speak english then who is filling their forms in?[/*quote]

I can’t remember the name of this recruitment company, but it’s advertised on the back of toilet doors at, amongst other places, Tibshelf Services.
(note to self - check out the name of said advertiser)

Note to self. look out for Female Polish truck drivers.

unless Kate is using the Gents in Tibshelf

[mezzzz1211]

Krankee:

laybybobb:
So what? Everything in your post says you have a problem with anyone of a Polish origin … racist ?

Thank you for those few kind words.

I find it unfortunate that you have resorted to a tabloid mentality particularly as the indigenous Polish population is white European and the word Race relates to…………….I’ll let you look it up.

In light of the fact that Germany and Poland share a common border and that for a period in our recent history, the latter was occupied by the former, an event which, whilst not resulting in commonality of language, will undoubtedly have led to an interchange of expressions within the vocabularies of both. Neither have I forgotten the valuable contribution of the Free Polish Forces.

If you again study the post more carefully you will discover that any mockery was directed towards to the individual whose response to language differences was a Basil Fawltyesque technique of repeating the same words, but louder.

Everything else was a report of direct observations/conversations.

It is unfortunate that the bandying about of words such as Race and Diversity, by people who fail to understand the terms, does much to inhibit political discussion on, what many commentators feel is the much warranted and long overdue subject of, immigration.

Indeed, such attitudes can often be viewed as more insidious to our principles of freedom of speech that any of the military actions within living memory.

WOW
somones swallowed a dictionary
but i agree the bits i understood