11 men to dig a trench!

[in the mire]

Out walking last week, best not to say where (village of famous castle) as I would not like to get people into trouble.

The council were digging shallow trenches every 200 yards or so to allow water flow off the road ( road not flooded) anyway I counted 8 men some leaning on their shovels looking at a JCB digging the trench, In amongst the men was the local council engineer chatting on the phone whom I just know to see, There were two trucks parked on the road before and after the JCB with their warning lights on to warn on coming traffic (understandable, busy main road) and a driver in each truck. So that's 10 council workers and 1 digger driver, Say each man was on 20euro per hour and the contracted JCB at 30 euro/hr thats 230euro per hour, I watched them for a few minutes and I estimate 2 trenches an hour were been dug (if it was a sub contractor on a fixed price job then it would be 4 trenches an hr)

I took a picture with my phone to show my friends for a laugh (seriously).

My question is, Who organizes the men to do their daily work etc, I though it was the council engineer. Maybe I dont expect a man to dig or clean out a shallow trench but could they have other work to do and leave the JCB work away with safety bollards on the road.

This would be a perfect example of wasted money and unproductive labour organisation. I work in a factory and there would be questions asked about why people are standing around doing nothing.

 

[sustanon]

how much do you pay your factory workers?

 

[in the mire]

I am an employee, I earn about the same

 

[sustanon]

Maybe you should work for the council.

 

[oldtimer]

I know what you are saying and this is going on all over the country. Last March three council workmen started making a bus stop just down the road from my house. They start at 8am but their supervisor starts at 9am so the first hour is spent chatting. They have a tea break from 10.30 to 11am and go for lunch 1pm to 2pm. They depart each evening at 4pm. They are a long way from finished. I reckon a private company would have the work done in a week. Just remember your €100 household charge will be spent on these type of projects.

 

[sustanon]

Council workers have ALWAYS worked like this... you get what you vote for kids.

 

[Guest105]

and the contracted JCB at 30 euro/hr

What planet are you on, a contracted JCB driver is most likely on 70 or 80 euro an hour if not more, these guys don't come cheap.

 

[FeuFollet]

Letting off steam?

 

[mathepac]

What were council workers from Blarney doing working in Bunratty?

 

[postman pat]

i hope there was no hassle in the castle

 

[Leper]

OOOOOOOOOOh! . . . . . . . . Has Ireland's youth and vibrant yuppies sank to the levels of taking pictures of council workers? What next? . . . . Taping them to have a laugh at what they were saying!

Great to be Judge, Jury and Executioner. I wonder how others would react if pictures were taken of them without permission.

 

[allie12]

This seems to be the norm, a couple of month ago a JCB & driver were cutting a verge (2 kms) and it took the full week- but most of the time you passed the JCB was parked up with the driver having a snooze!

Another guy was painting signs in an estate beside us, he painted one sign a day!

Seriously and the govenment want us to pay all sorts of taxes/charges yet they won't get their own house in order?

 

[The_Banker]

Out walking last week, best not to say where (village of famous castle) as I would not like to get people into trouble.

The council were digging shallow trenches every 200 yards or so to allow water flow off the road ( road not flooded) anyway I counted 8 men some leaning on their shovels looking at a JCB digging the trench, In amongst the men was the local council engineer chatting on the phone whom I just know to see, There were two trucks parked on the road before and after the JCB with their warning lights on to warn on coming traffic (understandable, busy main road) and a driver in each truck. So that's 10 council workers and 1 digger driver, Say each man was on 20euro per hour and the contracted JCB at 30 euro/hr thats 230euro per hour, I watched them for a few minutes and I estimate 2 trenches an hour were been dug (if it was a sub contractor on a fixed price job then it would be 4 trenches an hr)

I took a picture with my phone to show my friends for a laugh (seriously).

My question is, Who organizes the men to do their daily work etc, I though it was the council engineer. Maybe I dont expect a man to dig or clean out a shallow trench but could they have other work to do and leave the JCB work away with safety bollards on the road.

This would be a perfect example of wasted money and unproductive labour organisation. I work in a factory and there would be questions asked about why people are standing around doing nothing.

You should have had a word with the overseer. He obviously wasnt doing his job.

 

[Knuttell]

Around where I live its quite normal to see a small refuse truck pull up along side a public rubbish bin,the driver to hop out,take the full plastic bag out,tie it off at the top,replace it with a new liner,leave the full bag of rubbish beside the bin and drive off...the next day another similar truck will pull up and throw it in the back and drive off.

You really could not make this stuff up,take a bow Fingal CC.

 

[micmclo]

Around where I live its quite normal to see a small refuse truck pull up along side a public rubbish bin,the driver to hop out,take the full plastic bag out,tie it off at the top,replace it with a new liner,leave the full bag of rubbish beside the bin and drive off...the next day another similar truck will pull up and throw it in the back and drive off.

Job demarcation

Probably been going on for so long that any attempts to change it will be met with resistance

 

[Knuttell]

I think Unions are important and serve a function,up to a point however its stuff like this that really needs to be sorted out and if this means tackling the Unions head on with it then so be it,we just cannot afford this level of stupidity any more.

 

[thedaras]

Ahh come on guys and gals, its the fault of the banks/bondholders/Government/management...In the meantime two quotes come to mind:

It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory

. ~W. Edwards Deming

The man who looks for security, even in the mind, is like a man who would chop off his limbs in order to have artificial ones which will give him no pain or trouble.

~Henry Miller

 

[The_Banker]

Ahh come on guys and gals, its the fault of the banks/bondholders/Government/management...In the meantime two quotes come to mind:


. ~W. Edwards Deming


~Henry Miller

Another quote that springs to mind....

I will work harder...

Boxer (Animal Farm)

And we all know what happened to him.

 

[ajapale]

...Anyway I counted 8 men some leaning on their shovels looking at a JCB digging the trench.

Eight men sounds excessive all right but perhaps this gang was part of an Community Employment detail?

The activity described sounds like the construction of "water tables" these are channels cut into the ditch to allow drainage of the carriage way. It is essential that these are maintained prior to periods of heavy rain to avoid flooding and/or damage to the road surface.

 

[Chris]

I had a water leak outside my home last year and it took 8 guys two days to to dig a 5 feet deep whole 3 foot by 6 foot long. One of the guys, the driver of the pickup van never once got out of the van the whole time. In addition, 2 men kept coming and going, taking a look, having a cigarette and a chat and then going off again for half an hour. At any given time there were two guys digging while the rest stood around. You'd think they would take turns for their breaks, since obviously 8 men would not be able to dig at the same time. But of course that would have meant making the most efficient use of resources, and would have avoided coming back on a Saturday to finish off the job for weekend pay.