9th January 2023
9/1/23
1 day in the workshop and back on site tomorrow. Was booked to a site 200km south east of town but it got canned because of the rain. 10 minutes later after a few phone calls, booked for a 2-3 day job 150km to the north.
Today was interesting though as it was everyone’s first day back. We hit the ground running from the get go. Nothing urgent, just jobs that were on hold over the break.
It was a very interesting conversation after work though, while sitting down doing time sheets. Other than the owner of the business, I’m the oldest that works there. My boss, the owners son, would be about 15 years my junior. The rest of the crew would range in age from 18 to about 30. We were talking about the days where, if you weren’t working, you would just arrive at a workshop, with tools and smoko in hand, and wait at the front gate. Someone from the workshop would come out the front and say “we need 2 boilies” all the boilies would put their hand up in hope to be asked to come and work for the day. “I’ll have you, and you” as the supervisor would point at 2 people. “We need a rigger” again, all the riggers would put their hand up. “You, you’ll do” would say the supervisor. This would continue for fitters, TA’s etc etc.
And when you got your foot in the door, you’d do nothing but work. It was a waste of time to have the sandwich that you packed, because you never wanted the supervisor to see you not working.
If you were lucky enough to have a full time job, your attitude was the same. You’d be replaced for having a day off of work (unless sick or injured). Family days were just unheard of. Safety was up to you as well. Yeh if someone dropped something on you and you got hurt, no problems you’d be covered, but drop a bit of steel on your own foot, and you’d be a stupid fuk wouldn’t you.
But the best part. Easily the best part, 2 8hr day a week as a boilermaker would quite easily cover rent, car payments, food and every thing you’d need, and I’m talking about a husband/wife and 1 child. I know this, because that was my life for a few years.
Most people’s work attitude’s at present is to do as little work as possible, and take as much time to do it as you can. Business owners have to take this into consideration now and simply pass that onto the customer.
So for todays pub test. If job security was not as guaranteed as it is today. And you knew that you’d be replaced if you weren’t productive, would the cost of living come down as productivity increased. And yes, I’m talking about blue collar jobs, not office jobs, not bankers etc etc. Would todays workforce be able to cope with that? Or would we see industrial action on a scale we had never seen before? Has the laws and working conditions made it so that the simple costs of employing someone, and that being passed onto the consumer, has actually put us into financial stress that I’m sure we are all feeling?
Any way, enjoy your day, be calm, be humble and be grateful.
Craig.
