Labouring 101.....

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Vern68

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I'm a DIYer who has turned his hand to most things. I'm currently out of work and getting no joy in the job market.

Anyway, I saw the labouring thread and want to ask everyone: what is expected of a labourer? What I can think of: Keeping the spread(s) 'fed' with whatever he's working with (sand & cement / finish or whatever) / keeping the area tidy & generally cleaning up / helping put up plasterboard(?) Making the tea or going to buy it. Cleaning up the mixer etc. at the end of the day. Anything else?

Is it a very physical job? I'm way beyond general labouring on a site, but could a bloke in middle age labour for a plasterer....and what is the pay like in the London area?

Any opinions / and advice appreciated.
 
Vern68 said:
I'm a DIYer who has turned his hand to most things. I'm currently out of work and getting no joy in the job market.

Anyway, I saw the labouring thread and want to ask everyone: what is expected of a labourer? What I can think of: Keeping the spread(s) 'fed' with whatever he's working with (sand & cement / finish or whatever) / keeping the area tidy & generally cleaning up / helping put up plasterboard(?) Making the tea or going to buy it. Cleaning up the mixer etc. at the end of the day. Anything else?

Is it a very physical job? I'm way beyond general labouring on a site, but could a bloke in middle age labour for a plasterer....and what is the pay like in the London area?

Any opinions / and advice appreciated.
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@superspread
 
Hardest days work I would say I.ve done in plastering was labouring on 2 plasterers . Actually I.d say its topped by when I laboured on a 65 year old brickie . Labouring is hardest part of trade
 
John j said:
Hardest days work I would say I.ve done in plastering was labouring on 2 plasterers . Actually I.d say its topped by when I laboured on a 65 year old brickie . Labouring is hardest part of trade
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I.d even go as far as saying when you see a good labourer I find it impressive. Special on brickies
 
Sounds about right, John: if it wasn't hard, the boke on the tools would do it for himself - and save paying the labourer.

I'm just sick of applying for countless jobs on 'Indeed' etc and hearing sod-all back. It really wears you down.

Thanks for the reply though bud.
 
Vern68 said:
Sounds about right, John: if it wasn't hard, the boke on the tools would do it for himself - and save paying the labourer.

I'm just sick of applying for countless jobs on 'Indeed' etc and hearing sod-all back. It really wears you down.

Thanks for the reply though bud.
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How old are you
 
The trouble is 3 large housing sites in my area have all closed down in the past couple of weeks.
The largest one with about 80 houses at different stages, the bank foreclosed on them. The others stopped because of the present climate, buyers uncertain about the future.
 
malc said:
The trouble is 3 large housing sites in my area have all closed down in the past couple of weeks.
The largest one with about 80 houses at different stages, the bank foreclosed on them. The others stopped because of the present climate, buyers uncertain about the future.
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Yeah, it's all coming home to roost: the eye-watering cost of lockdowns, furloughing most of the country, Ukraine war and free credit for all those years. I don't think we ever felt the full fallout of the 2008 crash (or maybe I just didn't see it down sarf). Deffo not the time to be an old git looking for work!
 
John j said:
I.d even go as far as saying when you see a good labourer I find it impressive. Special on brickies
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I know what you mean. years ago, I read a brilliant essay by George Orwell called 'Down the Mine'. In it, he spoke of his awe of coal miners, and how they had to work: shovelling up tons of coal....much of the time literally on their knees shovelling it, as the roof of the pit was only about 4 feet high.

Oh, and if you ever moan about the commute to your job, the essay is worth reading just to see what miners commonly had to do. Orwell said that he always vaguely imagined that once the lift took them down below ground that the coal face would be somewhere right in front of them. In reality, they might have to walk (or scurry) up to 3 or 4 miles to the coal face (as the coal got further and further away as they mined the it). And this isn't some casual stroll, but running......plus you're never upright, but constantly crouching and ducking as you run because the ceiling is always very low. So, soon after Orwell started walking, his thighs were killing him, and he kept banging his the back of his neck on the pit props above. The real kicker is that the miners were not paid for this 'travelling' to the actual coal face. I think the essay is online: it's only about a 10-15-minute read, but Jesus what an eye-opener.
 
There are lots of jobs about but the money will be low. Baggage handlers at the airport that type of thing where they have a large turnover of staff. Labourers on our local sites, dumper drivers are on £180 per day.
 
malc said:
There are lots of jobs about but the money will be low. Baggage handlers at the airport that type of thing where they have a large turnover of staff. Labourers on our local sites, dumper drivers are on £180 per day.
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Cheers.
 
malc said:
There are lots of dumper drivers are on £180 per day.
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Reality Laughing GIF by CBS
 
Vern68 said:
I know what you mean. years ago, I read a brilliant essay by George Orwell called 'Down the Mine'. In it, he spoke of his awe of coal miners, and how they had to work: shovelling up tons of coal....much of the time literally on their knees shovelling it, as the roof of the pit was only about 4 feet high.

Oh, and if you ever moan about the commute to your job, the essay is worth reading just to see what miners commonly had to do. Orwell said that he always vaguely imagined that once the lift took them down below ground that the coal face would be somewhere right in front of them. In reality, they might have to walk (or scurry) up to 3 or 4 miles to the coal face (as the coal got further and further away as they mined the it). And this isn't some casual stroll, but running......plus you're never upright, but constantly crouching and ducking as you run because the ceiling is always very low. So, soon after Orwell started walking, his thighs were killing him, and he kept banging his the back of his neck on the pit props above. The real kicker is that the miners were not paid for this 'travelling' to the actual coal face. I think the essay is online: it's only about a 10-15-minute read, but Jesus what an eye-opener.
Click to expand...

Cornish tin miners had to climb down a ladder, often with their lad on their back. Could take well over an hour to climb down.
 
Yeah, I didn't know til recently about Cornish miners going round the world doing it, as their know-how was famed and in demand.
 
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