Union Tradies

[koleka]

hey people. im 20 and am about to start a pre-apprenticeship as an electrician, so i wont be able to gain employment till the end of the year where i will nearly be 21.

Just wanted to know if its hard to get a job at that age as ive been told they have to pay full rates at 21 wich is crap for them considering im a learning worker.

Money isnt the issue for me, i just want a job!

thanks people

[Starionturbo]

Call Victec or Frontline Group Training - any other info PM me.

Regards

Kim

[silva33]

It shouldnt be to hard at 21, I deal with union trades every day and see apprentices of various ages.

It isnt as easy at 21 rather than 17 or 18 but the larger union companies dont seem to mind as much as the smaller ones.

[TracidTrax]

how r wages these days for a qualified electrician?

[silva33]

how r wages these days for a qualified electrician?

They get paid 2 much on union sites!!!! lol

[koleka]

well first year under union and ou clear after tax around $400-$450 a week.

and thats FIRST year!

[silva33]

with no overtime, i.e 7am - 3.30pm monday to friday you should be taking home around $900ish plus you get HEAPS of RDO's, then when you ad in the saturday which is mainly double time, tradies start taking home quite a good wage.

They also get:

site allowance

height allowance

travel allowance

overtime and 1.5 and double time

etc etc..

Bloody good deal if you ask me!

[CNR33]

with no overtime, i.e 7am - 3.30pm monday to friday you should be taking home around $900ish plus you get HEAPS of RDO's, then when you ad in the saturday which is mainly double time, tradies start taking home quite a good wage.

They also get:

site allowance

height allowance

travel allowance

overtime and 1.5 and double time

etc etc..

Bloody good deal if you ask me!

Good deal? Its highway robbery!!! Yet ask them to work on one of their 200 RDOs and you can go to jail!!

We have several hundered (literally) tradies working at our company and boy have they/the union got things sweet!

Back on topic though, give the Group Training place a bell, should be able to point you in the right direction.

[stockS14]

I don't want to start a keyboard war or anything, but working in construction industry for the past 6 years I have seen many injurys (due to pressure to get the job done) I have also encounted asbestos and have been exposed to it on a lot of jobs, also simple dust (concrete etc...) thats kicked up and breathed for 40 hours per week such dust easliy causes lung conditions like emphysema.

This is why we have some of the allowances because construction workers have a proven shorter lifespan than an average office worker that is not exposed to these conditions.

Edited March 8, 2006 by stockS14

[Starionturbo]

The Union owns construction companys.

ETU Proud and paid up AHAHAHHAHA

[silva33]

there should ne no exposure to asbestos, you dont get paid 'danger' money, if its not safe then you shouldnt work... end of story.

you wouldnt be working on a union site and have probelms with asbestos, let me assure you. That is all taken care of before you should even be in the area, and if you are the one doing electrical works in an asbestos area then it would be done under asbestos conditions and yet again you would be paid another fee...

40 hours per week??? so your doing ovetime are you??

i do agree with the fact that you are exposed to more hazards than an 'office' worker but if it wasnt safe then your etu rep should not let you be working in that area..

[stockS14]

You know what I mean by 40 hours a week 36 bla bah bla, its been so long since Ive worked less than a 56, paying of my car/mods.

Asbestos is not always found before you commence the work, no matter how many checks have been done, we have had clearance many times and then found issues with asbestos, I was just pointed out that I have been exposed like many others.

I have also had dodgy plasterers and chippys cutting up mdf around me, you don't always notice whats going on until after you have had exposure, but trust me when we find out about it....well sounds like you know.

ATM im having a break from construction, and out here on the small maintance/installation jobs gives you a real reality check, foreman and leading hands under the pump....safety? whats that? Not an easy job teaching these guyz about it, and telling them where to stick it.

As for letting my etu rep know, I have been a SS in the past, have done the training and am still very much involved in union issues. Cheers Brother.

Edited March 8, 2006 by stockS14

[Roy]

Best advice i give clients when they are building anew facility..."Have you considered the Gold Coast!" Next best is Adelaide. Construction in Vic is a complete joke. Unions have done a great job for their members, but the cost of building here is rediculous. In the long run they will end up hurting infrastructure in this state

More power to the ppl that can get th emoney..but if i could have my time again i would be an electrician or elecrical engineer. The money they command is borderline criminal...Would you believe a job i was on in inner Melbourne, the sparkie was taking home about $1100-1200per week. Thats more then the gross of the Project Manager whose balls were onthe line for the entire project:(

Sour graps..you betcha....

[stockS14]

His balls were on the line for the project?

you mean his JOB was on the line....

our balls....our lungs....our safety...our lives... is at times comprimised due to the Project Managers pressure that they apply on our foreman....

[divi]

because we are talking about the Unions they can kiss my f**king ass

that is all

[koleka]

but u realise the only expensive jobs are licensed jobs and its not only hard to keep a license, its the law you follow. its full on stuff, there are books full of guidelines for anything.

[SLYSX]

Best advice i give clients when they are building anew facility..."Have you considered the Gold Coast!" Next best is Adelaide. Construction in Vic is a complete joke. Unions have done a great job for their members, but the cost of building here is rediculous. In the long run they will end up hurting infrastructure in this state

More power to the ppl that can get th emoney..but if i could have my time again i would be an electrician or elecrical engineer. The money they command is borderline criminal...Would you believe a job i was on in inner Melbourne, the sparkie was taking home about $1100-1200per week. Thats more then the gross of the Project Manager whose balls were onthe line for the entire project:(

Sour graps..you betcha....

Can not argee anymore, the market is currently slowling and i know a few large firms on the way to bankruptcy, a firm i know of has had to give 50 workers 4 weeks paid holidays becuase they have no work. Iam be there laughing went the whole industry falls apart and all these criminals loose there jobs.

Its pretty pathetic when a labourer can take home 80k a year and he is just some dumb shit no skilled person. (dont say its not true, iam in the indutsry and i know many many people in it, it happens)

[silva33]

Exactly, I am starting to get all subbys ringing me looking for work, the construction industry is very slow at the moment for the bigger builders.. We are flat out at the moment but only because of the work we do, ie. no more apartments!!!

Things are getting pretty desperate with a lot of trades... Plenty of tradies i know hat lost their jobs.. its not good..

Stocks14; i know what you mean, as much money as the unions have cost me over the years there is NO comparisson between the safety of the Union jobs and the general housing industry. I personally work with the Unions, ETU, CFMEU, FEDFA, CEPU etc etc.. if you work with them, yes they will cost more money but the last thing i want is to have someone lose their life becuase i 'forgot' to do something orhad the attitude 'she'll be right mate'.

What gets me is people that do traffic management... they basically make as much money as a person with a trade and they do NOTHING all day but stand on the side of the road with a 'stop / go' stick... it is wrong!

You are so right about the slack labourers that do stuff all during the day that you cannot sack that take home 80 grand... people dont believe me when i tell them, but it happens alright!!! even the peggy who cleans the toilets and lunch sheds take home amazing pay...

[saff_cossie]

Whilst not involved with builders unions, I do get to see some of the transport unions actions and also the mindset of the various workcare bodies. All I can say is the balance is way out. We as a company are being milked by certain groups of staff who have the common knowledge amongst themselves that they can take months on end for injuries such as a broken toe (caused by horseplay at work I might add) and other minor injuries not caused by lack of responsibility from the employers part. Makes me sick to see this and to know I put in hours of unpaid overtime and have taken 5 days off sick in over 11 years of employment.

From our experience Sydney is the most unionised state and causes us the most grief.

[Roy]

edited to fix my horrible typing

His balls were on the line for the project?

you mean his JOB was on the line....

our balls....our lungs....our safety...our lives... is at times comprimised due to the Project Managers pressure that they apply on our foreman....

No i mean his balls. Your lungs? Your lives? Come on, seriously, thats BS

No way that would ever be the case on a union site, or any other site for that matter. If it is, take the responsibility for yourself and smack the silly boss/project manager stupid and set him straight.. god knows there are plenty of labourers that carry on like cut snakes over nothing.

As for pressure form management...seriously the unions have managers so fearful of a day in court that its very rare that someone will knowingly put ppl at risk. We all make mistakes, and if you think th einstruction given to you sint quite rifght then just come out and discuss it with them. The foreman wont get jailed or fined or lose his job...it is the PMs balls on the line, just as it is the labourers. So its in everyones best interest to do it right and make it home in one piece.

Im not saying one is right, one is wrong, but i have been on both sides, and as far as appreciation for the others job...the engineers/project managers show a lot more understanding for what the labourers plight then vice versa. Labourers think project managers sit in an office all day, are clueless and get paid a mint...generally no respect, and not even an attitude condusive to gettign things done.

Good luck to ppl that can earn the money...but you get no sympathy from me when its tools down and time to go home because the lunch room on site only had 14 seats. And on a particular morning 3 guys didnt have a seat to sit on at morning tea.

It was speak to their delegate, and off home until new chairs were put in the lunch room...dirty farkers even got paid. If they had of just toughened up and stood for their tea/coffee, by lunch 10 more chairs were there...they didnt have to lose 60-70hours productivity over such a trival thing.

Not to mention 2 weeks later when they felt they wanted another day off, so in light rain i mean sea spray, they again downed tools because the path from the work area to the lunch sheds wasnt undercover and they and the tools could get damp!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So that afternoon temp hoardings went up....so it is sometimes frustrating when these things are happening.

Again if your being asked to do something dangerous, then the guy asking probably doesnt realise, so tell him. If he does realise then he deserves to be told to pull his head out of his ass.

My experience with a lot of trades (typically not sparkies but there have been occasions) is that there general work practices are far more dangerous then what is requested of them. And its no great surprise to find that they know better then the HAZOP etc findings or Work Method Statement them or their employer submitted. From tagging stuff they havent tested, to claiming they fell off a ladder when the dunce was walking backwards talking to a guy and tripped over his own toolbox he left in the middle of the carpark

Anyway, i for one like working with trades, they are far more fun and colourful then most of the office staff i work with. But the us and them attitude of most sh1ts me to tears...