Hi

My OH is a brickie and there are squillions of jobs in Perth. Someone he worked with was in Geelong (Vic) on a regional visa and was supposed to stay 2 years and ended up coming here after a year as the wages were terrible there and not enough work.

JO

Forgot to say, in the Western Australia newspaper there are about 3 columns of brickie jobs every week and OH hasn't ever had to look in there as it's just word of mouth.

JO

I can state with confidence that this is why your OH had such a bad time.

The CFMEU (Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union) is very powerful. Its internal corruption is well documented, and its brutality is infamous.

You will find that CFMEU members don't take kindly to the presence of non-union workers on site (particularly if they're foreign) and they're not shy about making their feelings known. My uncle (a professional carpenter - but not a union member) has experienced CFMEU thuggery first hand, and it's left him with a string of anecdotes that could curdle your blood!

I hope your OH is able to find suitable work on non-union sites in future. There are plenty of excellent employers out there, and your OH certainly deserves one after what he's been through!

Yafoley did you mean NoR? as in northern suburbs of perth?

I am so sorry to hear your OH got a hard time.

Put to your OH, that there is plenty of work, non union work and every crew is different - he just has to find one he fits with. If the labourers were being nasty it sounds like they feel like newbies are fair game to take their stress out on - a bit like apprentices are if you know what I mean. So if he goes for another job with a smaller contractor especially, he might find things easier. Or just keep calling people till he hears a broad UK accent on the end of the phone coz then he might get a bit of sympathy from the expat boss LOL.

My BIL is supposed to be a total bugger to work for (bricklaying contractor) but he gives the boys a beer after work and lifts to/from work and goes down the pub with them after work etc. The guys say they really cop it from him on the job but afterward he is their mate so they just learn to put up with his crap onsite. My Bil is based SoR.

I hope you can convince your OH to get back out there - you should see some of the ratbags the industry is employing due to the labour shortage. Your OH is dearly needed!!! Your OH will be fine and should not be put off by that experience - there are PLENTY more fish in the sea and 90% of them probably hate the crew your OH was working for too .

Thanks for your replies guys. Yeah hopefully something comes up this week. I got the West Australian yesterday and theres a good few bricklayers jobs in it so will try get him to call them after the bank holiday. "etc" your right about just finding the right team that he fits with. He is really easy going and get's on with people straight away so this kind of blew us away as we didn't come out here for that. Yeah he said the same about the Union, i think these guys were pretty pissed off that he was working on a union job being a migrant and that. But its not as if it's like UK & Ireland were you have migrants working as brickies/scaffolders and working for the minimum wage therefore all our guys are out of work, they are crying out for trades over here so why the hell can't they just let them get on with it.
The other brickies that he was working with were as p****d off as him with these labourers and two of them left two days after OH.
Thanks for your support lets hope he get's sorted soon... three children to care for we don't need this hassle.
Yvonne