whos struggling in these tough times?

[stevepeanut]

Things have gone really bad for me, for the last 8 years I have worked at a loft insulator. Long hours, hard graft, filthy job, but the money was always right, so I could pay my bills and have my bikes.

Since xmas a new health and safety rule says I can no longer work on my own, I have to take a lad with me, and have to split everything I earn 50/50 with him. Which leaves me in big financial trouble, and earning pretty much minimum wage. Looking at having to sell a lot of my stuff so I can survive till I find a better paid job. My pop up is on the bottom of my list of things to sell, but I might have to sell it in a few month if things dont pick up. Proper fed up at the moment, finding it so hard to get up and go to work doing the same job for half the money.

[callyboy]

How come you have to split everything 50/50 mate ? Is it your own business ?

Pete

[stevepeanut]

I have always been paid a set price for each house I do, and now I have to split that with the other lad. My contract says I earn a fall back minimum wage, its a joke

[Pop-Kat]

That sucks mate, take a 50% pay cut and still be expected to work the same !. Start looking for something else, maybe a new career ?, up until a year ago i was self employed and my work got less and less as a result of the recession, i started looking for other stuff but didn't know what to do, got a short term contract for 6 months and when that ended i had nothing so i got onto a temp agency, they put me in a manufacturing firm and 3 months later i was taken on permanant. It's a bit hard sometimes having to answer to people but it pays the bills and allows a little bit for my bikes......maybe i'll start restoring the popup this year ???(if i can get a shed/workshop built)
Hope things pick up for you soon.

[gazbee]

I know what you mean , no difference here I live in Sheffield now & have to work in London I love the job hate the travelling (come home at weekends) & miss the missus like hell which tears me apart at times, I just couldnt find anything that kept up with the bills in my local area. im just bideing my time till I can come home & live properly like normal families do . Its going to either sort its self out or we will go abroad to live .

[callyboy]

British Gas are recruiting loft and cavity wall insulation peeps:

http://gs7.globalsuccessor.com/centrica ... fvnqbumuyi" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Pete

[Katman]

Steve,

I feel for you mate. I was in a similar situation last year , nearly selling my pop up.

I've watched my business fade from lots of customers to just 6 in the last 2 yrs due to injuries.

Now I'm off again following a knee op that was 18mths overdue, by the time I'm back to full strength i'll probs not have a business left...luckily I won my appeal against DWP so get an extra £25.95 pw hahaha

Hang fire as long as you can before selling the pop up hopefully ya situation will improve 1st.

Good luck

[stevepeanut]

cheers guys, I nearly lost the plot with my boss last night, one of the better sides of the job is that I get home for 6pm most nights and get all my weekends off. The boss rang me yesterday and said I had to work Saturdays from now on. I said "are you for real, you cut my wage in half and now want me in on weekends?" have to talk to him about it today, but theres no way I am coming in.

Callyboy, british gas have set up a depot near me, one of our office girls moved there and shes putting my name forward for any installers that they take on next, fingers crossed

[Anilehater]

Fucking hell fella,and I thought my 15% cut to do the same work was shit, not due to me boss though, but them very nice reasonable people at the CSA.

What your been asked to do goes beyond the ridiculous, hope you get sorted soon

[nokatanayet]

best of luck bud, but you always have to think of selling the bike as the final option.
and i have just been told as fron the 28th of this month i will be unemployed and we have not had any writen notice from the company as yet, so it seems i will be contacting the union to see what can be done.
keep you chin up and don't let the B******S grind you down