I got offered a job with Wincanton at £8.50 per hour but I had to be prepared to work at 5 different sites. One site was Co-Op Lea Green where some of the lads are on much more money. I asked why and was told like it or lump it. I walked away.
My mate was offered a job at DHL (Burtons) Liverpool and he was offered low rates in comparison to the existing drivers. They said he would be employed by North West Transport and being a different company did not have to pay the same wages. The difference was over £100 per week.
The new rates are about £8/9 etc making it difficult to earn a good wage when the older drivers are on much more money.
shake:
They said he would be employed by North West Transport and being a different company did not have to pay the same wages. The difference was over £100 per week.
NWT not paying a good rate? There’s a surprise. The agencies supplying them in Hull are getting so little they’re barely offering anyone daft enough to do the crappy job £7/hr. Got told by who I work for that if I get offered it I need to get a guaranteed 10hrs a day because he makes absolutely nothing at all out of me for the first 8hrs and even at 10hrs a day he’d make £4.
Still can’t understand why having gone through the cost and hassle of getting their licence (£3k), maintaining their DQC (£300+) medicals (£50+) drivers work for such downright insulting rates
local chippy £10 hour to fry fish 8hrs a day overtime if you want,5 min walk from my house,not the 50 mile round trip and my own bed every nite giving it sum serious thought.
Was offered a “job” around July last year at the yard i run out of (through agency). I trod water on it as i was just about to take my class 1, and wanted to see how things went with it. Happily, passed first go and then discovered that their C+E guys were on around £7.80ph or thereabouts. Much as i dislike agencies, im still running out of the same yard, but getting £10-12ph. Whilst i appreciate that everybodys circumstances differ, i cant for the life of me work out why anyone would undersell themselves to such a degree. Im a newbie, but most of the guys i`m talking about are anything but.
The pay rate on its own is only a guide.
I understand theres a few on here who have the concept of a premium hourly rate mixed with fewer hours = a good job, I however do not subscribe to this philosophy and always like to see the top line / bigger picture, i.e. benefits (can you scrounge any to make the wage up), job security, pension, share scheme. I judge each job on many different merits but my max earning potential and the small matter of the job being a dodle are high up there with rate of pay.
After all I came into this profession with my eyes open and a natural progression from my early days joy riding / car theft etc… In fact I could drive before I could walk (admittedly not very well but on par with your average agency driver).
So you turned down a job as you felt the pay was too low, fair do’s- your choice. Its only a matter of time before all the drivers in the UK (both steel toe cap and flip flop wearers) stick together and force rate increases thus undoing generations of working long hours for crap pay set in place by our forerunners… Yeah right, but the old timers will still chuck the verbal diarhea out that new drivers are spoiling the job and wont stand their ground united, like they ever did.
That said theres only one person that supports my family and thats the wife (oh and me a bit also) so i will cross picket lines to earn a crust and will always do things my way (que song intro).
Never mind the rate look at them hours.
Is it possible you have chosen the wrong vocation… give it time though things may get better till a real driver shortage occurs and C, C+E licenses are handed out free with a pack of rice crispies.
{Edit: Excessive editing of this post has taken place due to my first beverage of the weekend being a strong one… }
neverhome73:
local chippy £10 hour to fry fish 8hrs a day overtime if you want,5 min walk from my house,not the 50 mile round trip and my own bed every nite giving it sum serious thought.
Sounds like a exciting number frying fish every single day.
Dipper_Dave:
The pay rate on its own is only a guide.
I understand theres a few on here who have the concept of a premium hourly rate mixed with fewer hours = a good job, I however do not subscribe to this philosophy and always like to see the top line / bigger picture, i.e. benefits (can you scrounge any to make the wage up), job security, pension, share scheme. I judge each job on many different merits but my max earning potential and the small matter of the job being a dodle are high up there with rate of pay.
After all I came into this profession with my eyes open and a natural progression from my early days joy riding / car theft etc… In fact I could drive before I could walk (admittedly not very well but on par with your average agency driver).
So you turned down a job as you felt the pay was too low, fair do’s- your choice. Its only a matter of time before all the drivers in the UK (both steel toe cap and flip flop wearers) stick together and force rate increases thus undoing generations of working long hours for crap pay set in place by our forerunners… Yeah right, but the old timers will still chuck the verbal diarhea out that new drivers are spoiling the job and wont stand their ground united, like they ever did.
That said theres only one person that supports my family and thats the wife (oh and me a bit also) so i will cross picket lines to earn a crust and will always do things my way (que song intro).
Never mind the rate look at them hours.
Is it possible you have chosen the wrong vocation… give it time though things may get better till a real driver shortage occurs and C, C+E licenses are handed out free with a pack of rice crispies.
{Edit: Excessive editing of this post has taken place due to my first beverage of the weekend being a strong one… }
At last someone who lives in the real world!
I agree with what you say, people hear about money and it’s a “I wouldn’t get out of bed for that” bollox while probably getting near the same that’s stated but to sly to admit it, I hear it all the time, the I’m on such n such brigade! I find that if you have went to interview, you either need the job, or want out of a job your already in, I’m in a fairly paid job for what I do, with a boss who doesn’t bother me and can afford to pay bill, am I going to get rich in this job? NO! A few extra £’s an hour isn’t going to make you rich overnight
■■■■■■■:
Was offered a “job” around July last year at the yard i run out of (through agency). I trod water on it as i was just about to take my class 1, and wanted to see how things went with it. Happily, passed first go and then discovered that their C+E guys were on around £7.80ph or thereabouts. Much as i dislike agencies, im still running out of the same yard, but getting £10-12ph. Whilst i appreciate that everybodys circumstances differ, i cant for the life of me work out why anyone would undersell themselves to such a degree. Im a newbie, but most of the guys i`m talking about are anything but.
It’s not hard too work out ,one of our agency in December was telling us how he had been given a run permanent ,guaranteed 5 days a week with ££££££ p.h more than the regular drivers ,he’s had 1 day in the last 2 weeks but it’s fine ,as he’s loads of diy he needs too catch up on
Dipper_Dave:
The pay rate on its own is only a guide.
I understand theres a few on here who have the concept of a premium hourly rate mixed with fewer hours = a good job, I however do not subscribe to this philosophy and always like to see the top line / bigger picture, i.e. benefits (can you scrounge any to make the wage up), job security, pension, share scheme. I judge each job on many different merits but my max earning potential and the small matter of the job being a dodle are high up there with rate of pay.
After all I came into this profession with my eyes open and a natural progression from my early days joy riding / car theft etc… In fact I could drive before I could walk (admittedly not very well but on par with your average agency driver).
So you turned down a job as you felt the pay was too low, fair do’s- your choice. Its only a matter of time before all the drivers in the UK (both steel toe cap and flip flop wearers) stick together and force rate increases thus undoing generations of working long hours for crap pay set in place by our forerunners… Yeah right, but the old timers will still chuck the verbal diarhea out that new drivers are spoiling the job and wont stand their ground united, like they ever did.
That said theres only one person that supports my family and thats the wife (oh and me a bit also) so i will cross picket lines to earn a crust and will always do things my way (que song intro).
Never mind the rate look at them hours.
Is it possible you have chosen the wrong vocation… give it time though things may get better till a real driver shortage occurs and C, C+E licenses are handed out free with a pack of rice crispies.
{Edit: Excessive editing of this post has taken place due to my first beverage of the weekend being a strong one… }
I’d have to argue here that “fewer hours” per week but the same or more hours per day at a much higher hourly rate is always going to be better than a crappy rate with loads of hours each and every day… 6 days working 10 hours a day for a top line of £600 isn’t as good as 3 x15 hour shifts for the same money. The latter is 25% less hours on a GROSS basis at that. Longer shifts mean relatively less mealbreak deductions as well, with the exception of places like RM that deduct 90 minutes from 12-15 hour shifts, nearly always given to agency regulars to do.
The only place I know of where I would agree with your philosophy here is Waitrose where it’s often only 6-8 hour shifts on offer, which even for a higher hourly rate barely make it worth the commute for many. I dunno how much Waitrose pay in the Bracknell depot for instance, but I’m pretty sure they don’t dish out 15 hour shifts for top dollar…
As a full timer rather than agency - if you can get a 3x15 per week contract (or even the more common 4-on, 4-off) then that’s going to be brilliant when you are given the same number of weeks (as days) compared to a monday-friday worker… You only have to use 3 days leave to get a week off - right? You are guaranteed by law to get 20 days statutory leave per year, so none of these attempts to palm full time 3 or 4 day per week workers off with only 15 or 16 days holiday per year…
I guess it’s these latter reasons why the really good weekly full time contract hourage patterns are now hived out to agencies so much.
I actually for once see both side here, yes a ‘premium wage’ is worthwhile but I have also quite happily took what would be classed as a lower rate or even day rate.
container/fridge work for example = lots of time being paid sat in my bunk sleeping or watching tv.
high rate at co-op dragging cages all over the shop all day every day, lots of weekend work included with no extra.
Winseer:
As a full timer rather than agency - if you can get a 3x15 per week contract (or even the more common 4-on, 4-off) then that’s going to be brilliant when you are given the same number of weeks (as days) compared to a monday-friday worker… You only have to use 3 days leave to get a week off - right? You are guaranteed by law to get 20 days statutory leave per year, so none of these attempts to palm full time 3 or 4 day per week workers off with only 15 or 16 days holiday per year…
Except that it’s not true - If your contract is for 3 days a week then you are indeed only legally entitled to 16.8 days statutory holiday each year (which can include public/bank holidays).
neverhome73:
local chippy £10 hour to fry fish 8hrs a day overtime if you want,5 min walk from my house,not the 50 mile round trip and my own bed every nite giving it sum serious thought.
Presumably the pay is on a sliding ‘scale’ depending on how many hours you spend at the ‘plaice’, are you expected to ‘chip’ in as required?
giving it sum serious thought.
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