A building site labourer - 20 years ago Vs Today

[JimBow-dy]

Was on a building site years ago, it was around the time when health and safety made the bags of cement a lower weight from 50 kilos down to 25 kilos. The lorry arrived with the new bags of cement and the brickies labourer said that his life would be a bit easier from now on with the lighter bags, and then proceeded to pick up and carry two of them.

[adrianbrown]

Trouble is these days is that all the building companies want someone who can do everything and jump through hoops but only want to pay them shit money

[brianking]

49 years in the building trade and I’m completely done! We should be retired at 60

[ohmaigod]

When you realize that 20 years ago was 2003 😅

[fallingleaves]

I mean, you get out what you put in. Most of these laborers make less today than 20 years ago because the cost of living has exceeded wage growth. I'm not about to go bust my ass when it doesn't pay a living wage, I wouldn't expect anyone else to either.

[jeffmoodie]

I remember those days. I was a kid on a summer job and the pleasant sound of being hailed from across the job site “LABOURERRRR!”. 100lb jackhammers, wheelbarrows of cement, manual trenching. I advanced from “labourer” to “bullhunk” over the summer. That was well over 20 years ago though, close to 40 now. Now I moved to Mexico and I see the back breaking work these guys do down here with “old school safety” of basically just don’t do anything stupid.

[hilariousname]

Why do I have the feeling people have been making these comparisons for about five thousand years? "I can see I'm going to have to build this pyramid by myself! These young fellas today - a couple of lashes of the whip and they're running home to Mommy!"

[ripvanwincle]

A proper hod was worth his weight in gold.If he put his boots on the outside of a ladder and slid down in 2 seconds he was a keeper.Walking and climbing with a hod without touching it just balance was a sight to behold.I saw some amazing carriers years ago so skilled they made it look easy.Respect to all the proper hod carriers.

[markellis]

Worked 35 yrs ago on a building site. Still one of the hardest things I’ve done. Some real hard men working full on.

[Teapot-Dave]

In my building days back in the 70s and 80s I worked with a couple of Nobbers.
A Nobber was a labourer who carried stuff on his head, compo, bricks, blocks, bags of cement - anything.
They used an old pullover sleeve rolled into a doughnut under their cloth caps, and carried bricks on an offcut piece of floorboard.
Compo (mortar) would be carried on an 18" x 18" piece of thin plywood or something similar, which is the origin of "mortarboards" being worn at graduations.

[JimmyOToole-buqk]

my brother in dublin is still plastering at age of 84, im 66 and and still plastering . it keeps us fit and healthy.

[MonstaTrapz]

I worked with real knowledgable old boys back in the 90's, my own dad being one of them. If only i knew how golden them days were at the time!
I look on site now, and it's all young lads. No one gives a shit about workmanship anymore. It's all about throwing it up in time and ticking boxes.

[johnkelly]

Back in the late ‘70’s I worked as a brick tender for one summer. The first week I thought I was going to die but eventually I toughened up to the demands of the job (not downgrade the job to suit my lack of skill or endurance). I was really proud of that work.

[anidamsa]

In the late 90’s I was a music student in London and need money urgently so got a job on a site near Canary Wharf build a school. £22 per day as a hod carrier to 3 brickies. I started on a Thurs, and for the first time in my life was in bed on a Friday night at 7pm exhausted and my shoulder swollen like a bap. Spent the summer on the site till my new term in sept. I never worked so hard. One of the best learning curves that served me well, I have total respect for builders in general as I know how hard they work. The effort I put into my studies as a result had me flying through music college. I got an amazing tan, became incredibly fit, and learned how to lay bricks into the bargain. Although the work nearly killed me till I developed some basic skill . This made me laugh though, I’m Irish and can relate wholeheartedly 👋😂😂😂👋

[Jerry-kopi]

After I got out of the military, I started framing house with a Amish company. We worked 10 hour days, had a 15 minute break in the morning and 30 for lunch. I got an extra hour for driving, picking them up and dropping them off everyday. Best company I ever worked for. Most weekends, we had about 7-8 guys working for 6 hours on Saturday to finish up odds and ends sometimes at different jobs. Now on top of that, these guys were also farmers or had horses(all Amish do)so they were up feeding them before work than after work as well. No body fat at all! Hard workers! When the guy was on the phone, reminded me of the new military now. I heard some guys say while I was overseas, "hey, sergeant just called a meeting in 15 minutes" on their cell phones. No OPSEC anymore either. We have gotten lazy as a nation and people believe they deserve something for nothing. You work, then get what you deserve!

[cannz]

We used to get paid 250 quid a week but the sad thing is that 600 today won't buy you any more. I drove a saab 900 and smoked 40 cigarettes a day, on 250 sheets a week then. Ain't nobody doing that now

[madcarew]

In the 70s a site agent told me while working in Northern Ireland a bloke collapsed, he ran over to where the guy was being helped, he said his first words were " Force Brandy down me throat"!!

[shaunfisher]

A bricklayers hod carrier was a fit strong man. In the seventies and eighties they worked so hard. From the footings to pumping everything up a ladder, there was no scaffolding and the bricklayers where working overhand most of the time. Some of the best labourers could keep four brickeys going.

[Misterkettukettu]

the difference is that 20 years ago you got paid fairly, today you dont

[samuelcroll]

The old guys act like they were the hardest workers. The difference now is us young fellas have a backbone and don't let ourselves get bullied or used.