Austerity won the argument this time, but the one thing that stood out for me straight away was the assumption that huge employment cuts  in the public sector would be swallowed up by some sort of miraculous commercial sector recovery. How does that work then? Firstly, there was and is no commercial sector recovery of note, presumably because everyone is scared stiff of spending borrowing or lending, plus you don’t have to be someone who studies in the scientific workings of a space rocket to know that commercial and public sector employees are two completely different animals. A public sector worker would not last five minutes in the cut throat hand to mouth of the commercial world, just as a commercial sector worker would struggle to cope with the bureaucratic world of red tape in the public sector.

Twenty six of the Conservative front bench are Old Etonians, now I wouldn’t mind that at all, I don’t care if a load of over privileged Toffs run my country, just as long as they do it well enough to let small businesses survive and even one day prosper again, but it appears to me they don’t actually know what they are doing, which, call me Mr Picky if you wish, I find quite alarming. It begs me to ask the  question, what do they actually teach at Eton, the pinnacle of the British education system? They can’t spend all day playing polo, making snorting noises at hot totty and ramming hot crumpets up each others anuses can they? Surely there are basic economics lessons in between loudly reciting the works of Shakespeare at each other in preposterous accents?

When I saw this austerity ideology taking shape a few years ago, I was genuinely annoyed at my own ignorance of economics, because I actually believed that there must be some hidden act of financial genius taking place among these elite brain boxes, something that my own basic state educated mind didn’t have the capacity to take on board (though I do have a BTEC National certificate in double entry book keeping). Silly old me, of course there was a way that that the commercial sector would recover to such an outrageous extent that there would be a desperate need for people who’s primary concern for the last twenty years was what flavour biscuits were going to come round on the tea trolley or when they could take their next batch of sick leave . It was just my ignorance saying it wasn’t possible!

However, it is two years later and there has been no commercial sector recovery whilst the public sector is providing no new work of any note, it is quite humbling to think I saw that one coming that before elite educated chancellor, George Osborne…….until you ask a three year old the same question that is. All of us in the commercial and small business sectors are staggered at the amount of waste in the public sector, but I remain totally unconvinced that putting all those people out of work without a hope of getting a job is good for the economy, it creates the double whammy of putting people on long term benefits and reduces their ability to spend money…..actually it is a treble whammy, because unlike 98 of the FTSE 100 companies that sponsor governments……public sector workers pay tax!

Anyone got any work?

Anyone involved in the M&E and construction industry in the past quarter will not have been surprised as the government apparently is, to have heard today that the country is officially back in recession, in fact many clients have said to me that this has been their worst ever quarter, it has certainly been my worst April since 1997 after what was a reasonable start to the year. However, it seems that the inquiries are starting to gather pace again and I have salvaged work, albeit short term, for most of the good guys we have on our books (which to be fair, is sadly not many).

HOWEVER…..I have two lads from Reading (a spark and a recently qualified improver) who have been working for us for Astranet and EPS in recent months and I have yet to find them work for next week. I really don’t want to lose them if possible so if anyone has anything for them for a week upwards anywhere in a 20 mile radius of Reading, I and they would be particularly pleased to receive an email, phone call, fax or smoke signal offering them something!  They are good lads who work together as a pair or separately, I can offer references if needed.

I have kind of given up on the labour spreadsheet at the moment as it changes almost daily and may not be relevant from one hour to the next, but it is safe to say that if any of you have requirements, I have the bodies……that’s the way it is right now.

I am imagining that this is just a minor blip and within a week or so you will all be queuing outside my office in a bid to grasp the excellent service that I offer. So, rather than persistent nagging, I will simply sit here refreshing my send and receive button every five minutes in the hope good news is not far away.

I have not updated the list yet, I have been far too busy eating food, drinking beer and watching Reading FC surge towards promotion to do that, but it is very safe to sat that if you ring, email, fax or smoke signal me, I will have plenty of labour available to cover the Thames Valley and London without too much of a problem.

“Pass me the revolver matron, I’m going for a walk in the woods.”

Electricians Availability For Work List

At the time of writing, April looks desperate, but like everyone I speak to, I am hoping that the passing of the end of the financial year and Tuesday’s budget will result in decisions being made and projects starting up as it seems everyone is snowed under with tenders. The spreadsheet that is attached shows a couple of our long term electricians quite possibly coming available in the next few weeks, plus several others who are working week to week or even day to day. We only have one longer term job running as  from the end of next week, which from my point of view is obviously a concern.

Hopefully one or more of you will come up with something to keep me off the streets, please call me on 07956 537076 to discuss rates for any forthcoming projects.

The list is attached on the link below, please remember, this not the whole of our database, just the group who are with us currently and available for work soon.

Electricians Availability For Work List

Right, where’s that can of Special Brew………………..

With that in mind the list I am going to send you is a guide as the way things are going right now, but changes are still likely to take place in the hours ahead between this morning and the weekend. On the whole business still looks shaky, but if all the tenders that are racking up on desks of everyone I speak to come to even a 50% fruition, who knows what might happen? What is really intriguing at the moment is the huge variation in rates, during this last week I have spoken to one tradesman earning £180 a day in Canary Wharf and another in Bracknell who was making £104.00!!

One of them was bouncing around like a red setter on a trampoline, whilst the other was slumped over his steering wheel listening to “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” by The Smiths. 

I will let you decide who was who.

Electricians Availability For Work List

I am also still looking in London for John Wood and Daniel Vinay but I seem to be drawing perpetual blanks on this one. It appears that unless you are at Heathrow or the Olympic stadium, work in the capital remains scarce despite murmurs of an upturn, though I must admit, with the sun shining across the beautiful concrete buildings of Basingstoke today, it is hard not to feel optimistic that things are about to start getting better for those who have been struggling for profitable business.

However, that is an uneducated guess purely based upon seeing a bit of blue sky and a daffodil in my garden, a thought process that is not heavily featured in your average economics text book.  That said, it can’t be any worse of a prediction than some of the “expert” opinions on the economy in the last few years. Growth was originally forecast to be 3% this year.

Click on the link below

Electricians Availability For Work List

As a consequence the list I am providing you this week is not a cast iron guarantee of where certain individuals are going to be, it is more of an (un)educated assumption, however it is still a good guide and anyone needing labour for a week upwards will be greeted like a returning war hero, such is my desire to keep the good guys working. The problem with good labour that stands out from the dross is that if you lose it, it is hard to get it back!

So at the moment, the two I really want to get back working are John Wood (London/Kent/Essex) and Daniel Vinay (London) if anyone can find them a home for a week or more that would be great. With regards to the others in and around the Thames Valley, Chris Bridges and Nigel Venner are two I would like to get started again if possible.

Here is the list, as always, please note this is not our complete database, just the people we are currently working with.

Electricians Availability For Work List

This week is also sees the 15th anniversary of CBS, yes, that’s 15 years of me nagging you all for business. However, back then I did it on an electric type writer and a fax machine and the phone calls were more sparse as the they costed 45p a minute from a Motorola house brick with a battery life of about half an hour. A couple of years later I bought an 8 Gig computer for about a grand that my Brother (who works for IBM) ambitiously claimed would last me 10-15 years. I now have a phone with twice that memory and meanwhile, because of my outrageous generosity, the IBM computer is clunking away somewhere in a third world school.

My first phone in 1997:  The slick Motorola MicroTak

I looked back at this landmark week on Wikipedia to see what other exciting events happened during this life changing time for my clients, but my only claim is that my company was formed during the same week scientists announced they had cloned Dolly the Sheep. I think I will leave it there.

Here is the list, it is worth noting that all of these lads have turned down the Wolverhampton Wanderers managerial vacancy.

Electricians Availability For Work List

On the subject of romance, I have attached the list that you all love more than anything else, that being the electricians available list. This week has, at the last minute, become a very a hectic one, BF Keane has taken four electricians for school shut downs in Hampshire with MSE and AES also taking men on a short term basis. This is an indication, if you  needed reminding, that short term projects are a lot easier to source labour for than they perhaps once were, so don’t be afraid to pick up the phone or send an email. Even if you only have work for a week or so, I can normally respond positively.

So, enjoy reading the list and enjoy Valentines day, this year I have gone for the old home made card trick, I shall be handing it over this evening. If you receive an email update next week, you will know it has been a relative success. If you don’t, could you kindly call the Hampshire constabulary and ask them if they would care to start digging up patios on Broughton High Street near Stockbridge.

Click on the link below

Electricians Availability For Work List

Regards

Bob