ajecambs

We had about 4 leaving parties due to having moved away from our respective families and my commute to work. They're tricky events to plan for and the time between finishing work and getting on the plane goes in no time. I finished work 5 weeks before we boarded the plane to Melbourne, and felt that would give me enough time to see the container arrive and depart, prepare the house to return to the letting agency, and then go to stay with family members before departing. We had parties in London, Baldock, Clacton & Ashford, Kent, in order to allow us the chance to say goodbye to everyone. Even then some people couldn't make it, for various reasons. I can sympathesise with your disliking of the limelight, and you'll probably get through it with a couple of standard answers to very similar questions or statements from everyone, such as; You're so lucky I couldn't do what you're doing Do you think you'll miss anything? Look after the Mrs... Good riddance hahaha and i'll definitely come visit Simply finding the time to see those who are most important is difficult enough. Best of luck, Ashley

I wasn't looking to bait people regarding their opinion on whether the unions are necessary or not, just wanted to further my understanding. Most people I speak to at work have only ever worked in Australia and therefore can't relate to my confusion. I agree that the unions have given the workers a very cushy deal, and would consider putting down my clipboard and shaving off my little moustache and becoming a labourer over here as soon as I can get a permanent visa, as the working hours and conditions are favourable compared to those I have to do. The UK construction industry is centred on providing a safe environment for all who enter the vicinity of the project, and can be taken too far with policies such as mandatory safety specs typically being a knee jerk reaction to a few unfortunate incidents, with progress and quality lower down the list of priorities. Due to the sheer number of agencies, and the number of migrants seeking work, pay for labourers and unskilled trades in the UK has been driven down. labourers etc are seen as disposable (in the sense of site requirements, not their lives), and very often are given work for a day or two as suits the project, so I can understand your opinion. I just wanted to further my understanding of the powers of the union reps on site...

I moved over to Melbourne in January and started work with a major contractor shortly after. The level of union involvement and control is something I'm not used to, having spent my entire professional life working in and around London. I'm trying to find out the what the unions are actually supposed to contribute to a project, as I'm unsure of their responsibilities. Any tips would be gratefully received.