How low can you go?

[madjock]

Just been for an interview for a vacancy running a 6 colour 102CD with coater, small company just the one press, but the rate on offer really surprised me, the press is operated by one man, no assistant, the shift pattern is triple rotating shifts, and the rate is £12 per hour, if you take off the shift premium, say 33% that makes the day rate £9 per hour, now is it just me or does that sound like a diabolical rate for a skilled tradesman?
To put things in perspective, my parents have a guy come round to cut their grass using their mower, £17.50 an hour, my brother has a cleaner that charges £12 per hour, both unskilled jobs not requiring a 4 year apprenticeship!
I wonder how many other skilled tradesmen work for £9 per hour??

 

[Stephen Marsh]

So, when do you start madjock?


Stephen Marsh

 

[madjock]

I am thinking it is time for a career change, maybe buy a broom and become a cleaner!!

 

[pippip]

It does seem quite low but your comparison doesn't match as both those jobs you referenced are jobs where for every hour you get paid involves another hour your not paid i.e. travel to and from locations. Basically means you couldn't get a 40 hour week paid from those jobs.

Best to keep looking, if the rate you were offered is too low they will discover that once they can't fill the position. Offer them a rate you would be willing to work for and leave it with them.

 

[davarino]

Remember that that is their offer. You're free to reject it.

And you ought to.

If they start their relationship with you on such a low standard you can be sure that things will never improve between you. You will have to negotiate every penny and holiday. Unless you need such an employer, flee from them.

 

[Mike Herndon]

That is border line insulting to have an offer like that.

However it just shows the state of the industry, there is no value in this trade unless maybe packaging. Operators get paid nothing, managers fight to give their best guys 50 cents. That can be said for a lot of things.

What if a press operator (or any production operator really) was paid a decent base salary then paid incentives based on what they produced??

Or if the operator made mistakes and reworks was paid less? You could say "well just fire them" but honestly it's really hard to fire someone these days! May end up costing you more.

Or if they were lazy but did just enough to not get fired was paid less because they produced less?

Just thinking out loud... the days of getting "merit" and "cost of living raises" are long gone. The days of paying a competitive wage in this industry are also gone it seems.

Cutting grass? Mowing Laws? Why not?? Depending on where you live it would work. I've been there as a side businesses and like any business if done right the money is there, probably a lot more than print honestly.

Mike

 

[chevalier]

American here in the lower Midwest/Upper South. I don't know how this really compares to your side of the Atlantic.

$20 - $30 (£12 - £17.50) per hour is typical pay for a skilled labor here. Operating that size of press you'd almost certainly have a helper getting paid $15 - $20 per hour too though.

What's really scary to me is skilled labor wages are stagnant while unskilled labor wages are increasing nearly 20% over last year. Recently (last few years) I've heard of and witnessed a lot of skilled guys "creating" overtime conditions just to pad their wallets. Unskilled workers (general plant labor) are now getting paid ~$12 per hour whereas just a year ago they were getting ~$10 per hour.

This isn't unique to printing...

 

[teresa005]

hm, i thought the salary out of China are all good.