1asp:
yes its my fault i’ll stay at home in future and starve to death
Try living within your means then you wouldn’t need to work for mop n bucket money, dragging the rates down for everyone else? Can you see a problem with that chap because it sounds like a good plan to me?
I cannot beleive you have said that, the oke is trying to work to earn a living and he gets blasted for accepting a low rate, when how many are living off the state sponge bobbing ? , I am sure he wasnt contacted and told “its 18 quid an hour mate” and he replies “no no no, give me less I am trying to [zb] up the transport industry”
I agree, it’s not the individual driver’s fault, it’s simply a case of supply & demand, there are too many drivers chasing too few, low paid, jobs. If he doesn’t take the low rate then there is always someone who will and the agencies know that, so there’s no need or incentive to offer higher rates. I know a few drivers, including myself, who are now ‘ex-drivers’ because we are fed up with agency working. The days that the OP pines for when a driver could ask for just weekend work have all but gone simply because drivers, out of necessity, have to max-out their working week and so what were ‘extra hours’ that agency filled are now part of core-hours.
And to those drivers who are holding out for the ‘driver shortage’ to happen - it never will unless there is a drastic change in government and EU policy. The government is quite happy for drivers to be ‘sham self-employed’ and have no intention of closing that loophole in the near, or even distant, future, simply because industry (what there is left of it in the UK), would not stand for it. Add to this the influx of other nationalities willing to accept low agency rates now and later in the year then that is the final nail in the coffin.
make sure you get hold of the name of a person at the agency
always ask for him/her
call them once a week, preferably same time, same day each week
tell them your availability for the coming week. eg warn of dental appointments, family stuff etc
for each job try to confirm pay rate, overtime, breaks hours etc
establish trust as you sometimes have to start before anyone else is in and you may finish after everyone has gone home so there may be no one to sign a timesheet.
try to accept every job offered but keep a black list of bad buggers
Some say “working for low pay is because you’re desperate for work”.
I never understood though how one can do a job, and lose money as a result of it being too low pay.
Eg. a 50 mile ew commute for a job paying £6.25ph when you’re driving an old banger that will need re-filling with fuel at least twice over that Monday-Saturday week of 6x6 hour shifts with an hour docked for meal relief…
Take your small amount of tax and insurance off, and the takehome pay is all going in the tank - and that’s before you’ve had anything to eat and drink during those 6 days!
It’s only worth working for low pay IF you live across the road from the yard, IF you’re claiming top-up benefits (which rubbishes the “I’m too proud to claim” people who’ll take any job because of THAT.) and IF you’re happy with the likely scenario that “other corners have been cut” by the skinflint outfit offering the job.
1asp:
yes its my fault i’ll stay at home in future and starve to death
Try living within your means then you wouldn’t need to work for mop n bucket money, dragging the rates down for everyone else? Can you see a problem with that chap because it sounds like a good plan to me?
I cannot beleive you have said that, the oke is trying to work to earn a living and he gets blasted for accepting a low rate, when how many are living off the state sponge bobbing ? , I am sure he wasnt contacted and told “its 18 quid an hour mate” and he replies “no no no, give me less I am trying to [zb] up the transport industry”
I wonder if you’d be saying the same if he was Polish?
If drivers stuck together (which will of course never happen 'cos they’re just too lilly livered in this country) and refused to work for less than £10 an hour, time and half after a continuous 8 hours, nights and saturdays, double time Sundays and BH’s, wages would soon go up.
Driveroneuk:
If drivers stuck together (which will of course never happen 'cos they’re just too lilly livered in this country) and refused to work for less than £10 an hour, time and half after a continuous 8 hours, nights and saturdays, double time Sundays and BH’s, wages would soon go up.
BUT !!! BUT !!! WHAT AM I MEANT TO DOOOOOOOOO!!!111111 STARVE TO DEATH!!!11111111
1asp:
yes its my fault i’ll stay at home in future and starve to death
Rob makes a very good point. I’ve been doing agency for years and this year has been the worst for me personally. Since January it’s been a lot of two day weeks etc and still not on top form but I have turned down work for the Co-op and Sainsburys because they’re taking the ■■■■ on rates as far as I’m concerned. But I’ve got by because I don’t have any credit. I’d rather be out having a walk or baking a cake or loaf than selling my time too cheaply.
It’s amazing what we can do when deliberately lowering our incomes to not only pay less taxes, but get top ups, and more importantly walk away from all that unsecured debt in the first place…
£250pw seems to be the optimum weekly pay packet now for the proberbial “average family man” with 2.4 kids.
Once you’re not a “must have 5-6 days a week every week” addict, you get control back of your own life, and oddly enough, although one works less hours, the average hourly rates of course rise because you reject the dross, and only pick up the good stuff.
There are still a lot of agencies out there that expect each and every shift you do for them to be taken on as a “loss leader” and “a favour” as if it’s going to get any better once you start taking that 8 hour £6.25ph shift 50 miles away…
Work for your own profit, and not to line some suit’s pockets whilst you lose money. “Flexible” is not the same as “Mug”.
I’d drive a private ambulance, a muck spreader, or a scania if the pay & conditions are right. On the other hand, I’ll still not drive the girls’ minibus on their ascot trip if the pay & conditions are NOT right. A “possible” free shag isn’t worth forgoing a day’s pay - right?
Winseer:
On the other hand, I’ll still not drive the girls’ minibus on their ascot trip if the pay & conditions are NOT right. A “possible” free shag isn’t worth forgoing a day’s pay - right?
Oh, I don’t know? What are the girls like? I could be tempted!
I did this as a one-day job in 1989 for a payment of £50 (not too bad money for the time) to drive a minibus of office girls from what was then known as Nationwide Anglia for a day out at “Ladies Day” at the Ascot Racecourse. I had to hang around outside the course, but got to chat with other drivers, especially chauffeurs and it was a nice day, so not a bad job. I was actually working as a minibus driver for RM at the time, having not got my HGV licence as yet. This job was in my holidays, and nowt to do with RM though.
On the drive-back, many of the ladies were totally rat-arsed, and exhibiting anything but ladylike behaviour, but I didn’t do anything to take advantage. When it came to dropping off the final three ladies, it turned out the best looking of the three was awaited by a burly looking bloke who was her boyfriend, and the only one I might actually have been able to press anything with was a complete moose that I wasn’t interested in.
Others have said over the years since that I squandered a golden opportunity to “get my leg over with some toff totty”, but I was happy at the time merely to not have any of them puke down my back coming back around the M25…
pay rate not everythink…one friend work from agency for 11p/h(limited company).from last month agency sent him to one company (Hincley).after 2 week company offered him full time possition.with 10.50 (PAYE).OVERTIME FOR GOOD RATE…but he Refused.because every day drivers work just 6-8 hours,no more,no night out.and can work just 5 day per week.overtime possible just if traffic or waiting time.so in this position hi can get just about 420 before tax.and this is not agency job,where drivers can taked extra day off if tired .some people if work for agency can get money money for full time drivers .all depend.
