Young workers are exploited

Re: 'Customers are Exploited 26-Dec-2010 11:54'


"A handyman by anyone's reckoning is unski11ed work. These rates are 3.5 times minimum wage level [..] A whole army of handymen should descend on London and reduce the costs."


If you feel so exploited, and you feel that the job is so easy, then do it yourself. But no I guess you'll never do that, because you are too important and oh so highly ski11ed you could never stoop to the level of handyman. You just want someone else to do your dirty work for minimum wage. You make me physically sick.


If you can't do a job, then you should pay someone else a fair price to do it. Don't expect work for peanuts because you are too lazy, idle and cheap to do it yourself.

Listen, in the current climate you should just appreciate your son has a job, and a good one at that. Everybody knows the wages are poor but you are not qualified. You are learning, you didnt get paid to go to school so at least he is getting something. I can guarantee if your son leaves this job he will be struggling to find another. People would give an arm and a leg to have an opportunity like that. However if he stays on, grits his teeth and deals with it, in the long run he will most probably lead a succesfull, fulfilled life, with a comfortable trade behind him and a chance to run his own business one day. All in all, stop moaning, deal with it, and just be happy that he has an apprenticeship. I certainly will be happy to take his place if he leaves!

Yours Sincerely, A fairly annoyed 18 year old.

my grandson works as apprentice joiner and goes to college once a week does the builder get any money off the coverment for him

I have just seen an advertisement on the Internet: affordable handyman rates. probably the cheapest handyman service in London 1/2 Day £120 Day £180.

A handyman by anyone's reckoning is unski11ed work. These rates are 3.5 times minimum wage level. Handymen rarely pay VAT for their work, and I expect work in the black economy of paying no income tax or NI. All cash transactions.

A whole army of handymen should descend on London and reduce the costs.

A hundred years ago your parents had to pay the boss to accept their child as an apprentice. Mind you the firm was contracted by this action to teach the child a ski11ed job, and get their ticket.

I've the same problem with my daughter first step contact ucas and then a solicitor she's now taking her employer to court for her loss of earnings. good luck

this does undoubtedly happen. espeically with young people on work experience. what sometimes happens is that employers are willing to pay for young people's education in exchange for cheap labour. then what happens is, the young person graduates and the employer puts them on the scrap heap. they then replace the young person with a younger person who has just begun their education payed for by the employer. what you are left with is a large number of young people with the education and experience, however no jobs.

My boyfriend first started his job in May 2007 with a local joinery company. When he first started his wages were cash in hand, not through the books or anything. Started college in the August and his wages went through the books, starting getting paid by cheque, wages started around £120 a week for around 40+hours a week. Often working Saturday shifts. He has been made redundant 3 times by the same employer, been to college 3 times, missed one full year, been messed around. Wages went upto £150 a week after he entered his "2nd" year but not officially because he hadn't started college yet again. It took his employer months to finally send him back to college - now it has came to August 2010, he has supposed to be in his third year apprenticeship and should be on much better wages. He was earning around £190 a week -which he has now been told will go down to £175 a week. Why the change all of a sudden? My boyfriend is expected to take his own car to work, pick up other colleagues, drive down south with no expenses or extra wages to see him live easy down there. I keep saying to him to get another job but due to the financial situation that we are in its not as easy as it seems. If things were done properly he should have been almost time served by now instead of entering into his 2nd year at college and on wages like his. He also has no written contract, gets a bawling if he makes a dentist/doctors/hospital appointment, he has no holiday entitlement, no health and safety equipment! I keep saying to him to take him to the pay and work right guys to see what they have to say about this but he thinks it will be a hassle. Is there anything that I can do to help improve this dreadful situation?

My nephew is staring college in September to do a construction course. In the meantime he has start to work on an "as and when" basis for a local builder. The builder, however seems to be paying him "cash in hand" at a rate of £2.50 an hour (apprentice salary).

He has no contract of employment, let alone an apprenticeship contract. It seems that the employer is simply taking advantage of the fact that he is a college student learning the trade. Essentially this is cheap labour.

Can the employer get away with this on the basis that he is studying the trade?

This is really dumb because as NLP says, "You are where you want to be in life" - meaning, its up to you to change things. If you son values himself more, then he is in the wrong job or perhaps profession...maybe he should rent a flat for a few months and then go on the dole....everything paid! Rent, Council tax and around £55 a week........

My husband is a joiner who has worked for over 20 years learning his trade and is still learning and improving everyday.

He wants to employ an apprentice who wants to learn, and has the same values in terms of service and quality not one who believes they are owed a fixed amount of money based on circumstances or age.

It takes time and dedication to learn a trade to his experience and not just a couple of years as an apprentice. An apprenticeship should be seen as the first rung of the ladder not the final step.

Without experience a young person will never be able to make the first important step into successful and longlived employment.

Take an apprenticeship and get every ounce of knowledge and service information that you can and stop griping about what you think you are owed.

I think the young folk today have it too easy ! I had my own small business and took in a trainee ( paid by the local CITB ) and was glad when his time was up. I lost more time and money trying to educate him in the skills required when he had no aptitude whatsoever. I wasted time explaining this to his parents who said I hadn't given him a chance ( 2 years ! )
I later took on another lad who proved to be a computer genious and went on to great things ( after thanking me for my encouragement )

In the old days ( 40s and 50s ) you had to pay your employer for your indentured apprenticeship and his knowledge.

I am now retired but would never take on an apprentice today.

I would like to know how your son would get on without having an employer during his apprenticeship? How would he be able to gain the experience to become a joiner without the help of this firm?
The firm are offering to train your son AND also to give him money for learning a new skill. Yes, the do get his labour in return, but as he has no qualifications, nor real joinery experience, they can charge the customer very little for his time.
Exactly how much money would he receive from a college for the same training? I think before you criticize your son's employers, perhaps you should consider what he would do without them.

We can relate to Mary's story, my son is in his second year at College and his 3rd year with his employer as a apprentice joiner. He has had one wage rise from starting with his employer.
We also got in touch with CITB & the College and no one could help, someone has to look into this and speak up for these young people.
He works 41.5 hours per week and is getting paid £3.14 per hour and will be 19 years old soon.

Im 18, studied joinery for 2 years in college and have now moved to sweden, before I moved I got working with a small firm for 3 months for free... just to get some experience because I felt wholeheartedly for joinery! my boss soon changed that, I was fine workin for free but when he took a circular saw to a bunch of aspestos above my head without telling me when I was working over my christimas holidays on his house extension for free I quit... now as you can imagine im pretty worried about going back into work.. I loved joinery, even when working for free but they take too much advantage of young people, I dont want to be in danger just because some guy doesnt see me as a human... =/

I also feel like I am treated badly as I am a 2nd year apprentice joiner and I get payed £20 a week of my boss.
And the goverment pay me £80 a week.
So I work 4 days for free because the goverment pay for it and he pays me £20 to go to college.

I am an apprentice and I would say the same as above .....CITB are no help at all.

this subject realy does anoi me. I personally am 19, I have a 2 bedroomed flat costing in total £500 a month, I work part time at a shop, and get £5.96ph because im 19, however someone who is 21 gets paid 6.50ph.......how is this fair, when I do the same job they do. some would argue that they need the money more, but why would they, when there car insurance is cheaper and there mortgage is cheaper than my rent, surely I should be paid more because I need it, I believe you should be paid a fized amount based on your circumstances. the average 19 year old lives with mummy and daddy and wold simply spend their money on bits for their car and alcohol, when im just trying to pay for somewhere to live. sadly because I dont get the 6.50ph I cant live in my flat, because I fall just a little short from being paid 5.96ph. is it really fair??? Cirsumstances...Not just you AGE!!!!!!

All office jobs start on the admin super highway until you've been there long enough to get moved up the ranks then it just seems to be the more money you make the more stress you get with the slight advantage of affording a holiday every year. The end

Your son should consider starting his own business after he has learnt the necessary skills. Perhaps this will make him a fair boss to work for in the future. Too many people rely on these small dirty firms. I bet your son has more talent than this entire firm.