Hopefully this will be left up here long enough for me to at least see a few replies hopefully with some insight as to where this phrase originates from.
I’ve often seen comments about agency drivers limping on here and possibly elsewhere, although I’m starting to think maybe I’ve spent too much time just on here?
Is there any particular reason for the limp? I have had Plantar Fasciitis in the past and started to wonder could this not have equally effected the (genuinely) self employed or full time employed as much as myself on the agency?
I imagine there’s a joke going round that I just haven’t understood such as the other comments about Aldi carrier bags etc.
Also a question for the mods, if a topic has too much trolling on it why is the whole topic taken down such as what I believe happened to the one about two drivers dead on M1 recently rather than the offensive posts taken down?
I imagine this one could bring out some trolls, thats not my intention, just a light hearted question to see if anyone actually knows where these phrases originate, certainly not trying to offend anyone…
as far as limping goes,then this is unashamedly copied from a previous topic on here a while ago but explains perfectly .
Here is the official definition -
Perma-limper
Permah limpah
noun
A person of questionable personal hygiene standards who can’t secure proper employment so limps from one agency assignment to the next, forever and ever and ever.
synonyms: career agency driver, the terminally unemployable, conor, winseer
ytrehodluap:
Also a question for the mods, if a topic has too much trolling on it why is the whole topic taken down such as what I believe happened to the one about two drivers dead on M1 recently rather than the offensive posts taken down?
My definition of the above is a orthopedically challenged gent of advancing years with general poor health.
He observes the dress code of the filthy hi viz coat and bobble hat (worn whatever the weather) the Jabra bluetooth the loops around in a Madonna stylee the bag for life (Aldi), teeth like a Transylvanian graveyard and the bleary eyed (I’ve slept in a tent look).
Generally they have short stints at an employer punctuated with loud verbal spats with the office staff then disappear completely (Thailand usually)
Mostly competent let down by their personal appearance and unfortunate attitude.
I’m surprised that Connor hasn’t been on here to let us know there not all that bad lol. I’ve heard the thing about wearing the hiviz for all of the 14 to 15 hour shift also and I must confess that I myself can rarely be bothered to take the ■■■■ thing off as despite the fact that you are probably a lot more noticeable not wearing the thing as when you are, I really can’t stand the jobsworths having a go at me 10 to 12 times a day, although the reflection of myself in the windscreen isn’t particularly helpful on a bright day…
Agency work is not without its problems but for me it beats having a full-time gig for a haulier who tells you when you can and cannot take your annual leave (A couple of weeks in November or February, fine! July or August, forget it") or who says “We realise that you have a hospital appointment but this 26 tonnes of chipboard is too important for you to keep it so you will just have to die but don’t worry because we can always find another driver”.
Virtually every single place the agency sends me to offers me a permanent job. Every single time I say “Err, no I won’t be doing that”.
i would think that it would be,
i wont be in on these days.
il expect my holiday pay to cover the time i wont be in.
you have plenty of notice to get cover from elsewhere.
irrespective of what they like or otherwise,then go your holidays as and when it suits you and take the tut tutting when you get back.
if it escalates,then move to a decent job that you should have found before you took the time off.
why would anyone let their employer dictate to them as to when they can or can not take their holidays?
i can accept it would be ok to help out and pick to work christmas or new year if you were ok with it in a smaller company,but apart from that,then take your holidays with plenty of notice as and when it suits you.
dieseldog999:
i would think that it would be,
i wont be in on these days.
il expect my holiday pay to cover the time i wont be in.
you have plenty of notice to get cover from elsewhere.
irrespective of what they like or otherwise,then go your holidays as and when it suits you and take the tut tutting when you get back.
if it escalates,then move to a decent job that you should have found before you took the time off.
why would anyone let their employer dictate to them as to when they can or can not take their holidays?
i can accept it would be ok to help out and pick to work christmas or new year if you were ok with it in a smaller company,but apart from that,then take your holidays with plenty of notice as and when it suits you.
There’s a whole world out there where drivers have to “request” annual leave and that request is then rejected if it “does not fit in with the company’s operational requirements”.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m with you on your basis thesis but for me the simplest way around it is to do the limping thing where I can say “I’m available Monday, Thursday and Friday next week” or “Right, I’m going off boating now, I’ll give you a call in three months’ time”.
I was working for a well known airline catering company for a while and was required to request holidays… I thought it wasn’t unreasonable to want to go away from 26th December to 30th however the jobsworth who processed (or didn’t, I have no idea) hadn’t told my I could go, nevertheless I got a phone call after I got back from the pub saying something along the lines of your supposed to be here now… To which I said I’ve a flight booked and will be back next week… they weren’t impressed apparently…
ytrehodluap:
I’m surprised that Connor hasn’t been on here to let us know there not all that bad lol.
I’m an agency driver with a limp so I can’t argue against it. I’ve also sadly seen too many who fit the rest of the bill.
Harry Monk:
Agency work is not without its problems but for me it beats having a full-time gig for a haulier who tells you when you can and cannot take your annual leave (A couple of weeks in November or February, fine! July or August, forget it") or who says “We realise that you have a hospital appointment but this 26 tonnes of chipboard is too important for you to keep it so you will just have to die but don’t worry because we can always find another driver”.
Virtually every single place the agency sends me to offers me a permanent job. Every single time I say “Err, no I won’t be doing that”.
This is the quandry I have at Howdens. The reason to get a permanent job, the much higher pay the permies get, won’t exist from April when the rescinding of the Swedish Derogation of the AWR comes into force so finally parity pay. Although quiet now (first time in 3 years so I’m guessing “Brexit”) I get enough work there already over the rest of the year to pay enough to keep me happy. Not sure I want to give up the flexibility of being able to say “nah sorry not today thanks” when I’m texted work, it definitely makes the job much more enjoyable.
Conor:
. The reason to get a permanent job, the much higher pay the permies get, won’t exist from April when the rescinding of the Swedish Derogation of the AWR comes into force so finally parity pay.
It would be nice to think so, but in my experience the Government will introduce some new legislation designed to protect agency drivers, it will get its draft reading, its first parliamentary reading, its second reading blah blah blah, after three years it will finally become law, and then it will take the agencies five minutes to find a way round it.
There’s a whole world out there where drivers have to “request” annual leave and that request is then rejected if it “does not fit in with the company’s operational requirements”.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m with you on your basis thesis but for me the simplest way around it is to do the limping thing where I can say “I’m available Monday, Thursday and Friday next week” or “Right, I’m going off boating now, I’ll give you a call in three months’ time”.
[/quote]
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
job done…
Back when I worked in a full time job I used to fill in ‘Holiday request forms’ but I made it clear it wasn’t a request, I’m just giving you plenty of notice.
I only work there, they don’t own me.
dieseldog999:
as far as limping goes,then this is unashamedly copied from a previous topic on here a while ago but explains perfectly .
Here is the official definition -
Perma-limper
Permah limpah
noun
A person of questionable personal hygiene standards who can’t secure proper employment so limps from one agency assignment to the next, forever and ever and ever.
synonyms: career agency driver, the terminally unemployable, conor, winseer
dont shoot the messenger,i only reposted it…
I’m a bit disappointed a mod would try and typecast yours truly here… As someone who chooses to be agency over full time - because the money is better, and I get to live and work the patterns I actually want to.
(It’s January, and I’m flat out with six shifts this week - because it suits me) What do you get as a full timer in january? All the dross work, like “container repatriation” etc?
No reference even to what “Limper” actually means as per OP’s post?
There was me thinking that it might be someone “invalidid out of a full time job” and trying to return to work in the same industry, having already been medically paid-off?
Harry Monk:
Agency work is not without its problems but for me it beats having a full-time gig for a haulier who tells you when you can and cannot take your annual leave (A couple of weeks in November or February, fine! July or August, forget it") or who says “We realise that you have a hospital appointment but this 26 tonnes of chipboard is too important for you to keep it so you will just have to die but don’t worry because we can always find another driver”.
Virtually every single place the agency sends me to offers me a permanent job. Every single time I say “Err, no I won’t be doing that”.
Full timer outfits that tell you to work on your days off “because your contract is any five from seven” which makes it then worse than a ZHC in my mind…
Putting in for holiday whilst on agency - is actually better in that you control when the holiday pay does or doesn’t get paid as well.
In my case, that means currently stockpiling it until the end of march, taking often an extra day off each week to satisfy “stat leave” requirements meanwhile…
Come the end of March, if taking that holiday pay as a 4-figure lump sum puts me over the higher tax threshold - then I’ll bump it into next financial year and take it then instead.
If not - I’ll just pay the base rate on it like everyone else…
I couldn’t help but chuckle when I see agency drivers taken on after me - that jumped into the first full time offer going - only now to regret having done that…
“I didn’t sign up for Friday nights and weekends - Boohoo!” “I didn’t realize you had to work extended shifts to make up for all those short ones I got where I made time - Boohoo!” “I didn’t realize that I’d be dropping £255 a month in my pay for practically the same number of hous - Boohoo!” “I didn’t realize that I have to apply for holidays, but might not get them - I was told there’s no such thing as seniority here - but now I’ve gotta take my holidays in Feburary and November - Boohoo!”
Conor:
. The reason to get a permanent job, the much higher pay the permies get, won’t exist from April when the rescinding of the Swedish Derogation of the AWR comes into force so finally parity pay.
It would be nice to think so, but in my experience the Government will introduce some new legislation designed to protect agency drivers, it will get its draft reading, its first parliamentary reading, its second reading blah blah blah, after three years it will finally become law, and then it will take the agencies five minutes to find a way round it.
Its already gone through everything, if you google the derogation your top results are now recruitment companies, agency bodies, employment lawyers and rights groups talking about how the change happens from April and their responsibilities.
toonsy:
The easy get round is in the wording already “12 continuous weeks”
Whats the betting after April people no longer get sent into places for “12 continuous weeks”
Not that it affects me but even I can see a glaring loophole right there.
It was that way with Pertemps & Royal Mail a few years back… You’d be taken on in November and dropped at the end of week 11 come January.
That way, “parity pay” didn’t ever kick in, unless you were one of the chosen few who’s face fit and all that…
The last couple of years saw a change however: Parity Pay was “straight out of the gate” come November, and now there was no incentive to be let go in january on week 11 any more - so I found myself solidly booked from November-March, only faceplanting come March due to reasons nothing to do with being on agency.
The Swedish Derogation thing - I have hardly seen any evidence of it since 2014. The rip-off outfits that might still try to exploit the loopholes - are surely falling into rack and ruin by this point?
You know… Those firms that insist you join their umbrella, and all the work they have is of the “last minute” variety, never full timer’s “leave cover” which can be scheduled an entire week in advance… The QUALITY agency work outlined there, I suggest…
All in all though - I chase the big bucks and the most convenient (to me) working patterns.
I’ve been perm nights for nearly three decades now, and loath working early doors monday-friday.
Agency thus suits such people as myself as a “lifestyle choice”.
I’m not so quick to jump at “full time offers” any longer. Temp to Perm isn’t the gold at the end of the rainbow it used to be in the days of more widespread “dodgy agencies” let’s say…
toonsy:
The easy get round is in the wording already “12 continuous weeks”
Whats the betting after April people no longer get sent into places for “12 continuous weeks”
12 continuous weeks has NEVER been in the AWR, 12 weeks is but not continuous. The reason they didn’t put in the word continuous is because they knew that the unscrupulous would just keep you there 11 weeks and take you out for a week to get around it if they did.
