[tb2tb2]

thats 3 ex print people that have replyed to this post, is printing one of the most affected trades in recent times       seems alot turning to w/c  from the print trade

[ftp]

It is, the print trade has gone from one of the strongest unions with some very decent wages to the scrap pile in about ten years.
Maggie squashed the unions so employers then gave us an annual pay cut instead of a pay rise. Then China waded in and undercut everybody. Technology became more advanced so that books could be set up at home on a laptop maybe get the first imprint in this country then just send the disk abroad to the cheapest plant.
On top of that we had the greediest most selfish directors ever and that was the end.

[Fieldsy]

Totally agree with ftp, couldn't have put it better. The print industry has been one of the hardest hit. There was a time when if you told someone you was a printer...you got "oh you must earn loads, thats a good job", yes it was, but not any more. Too many hangers on in the offices, directors taking bonuses here there and everywhere, then leaving the company and tagging on to another because of their "reputation" in the trade. Everyone else was on the bottom of their shoe...........people like myself, who had trained, done a full term apprenticeship.........and then told if you don't like it F*** off. This unfortunately is becoming common practice as most machines now don't need the skill or the eye of an experienced printer. They can get someone in who will work for half the money, as long as they can press buttons, the machine does it for them. Unfortunately when you went to unions to try and save your job, they couldn't give two stuffs. I'm well out of it and enjoying my new found career/employment.

[ftp]

  me too, I would never return to that trade. That was the exact attitude in our factory - do what we tell you or bugger off. Getting hauled into the office for not working overtime when they demanded it. getting a rollicking for having four sick days in a year, verbal warning if you were more than two minutes late clocking in. Being refused holiday because it didn't suit them. Being told you can't retire before sixty five because of the huge hole in the pension fund - caused in part by the Directors retiring at fifty then returning as 'consultants'. Told to take a pay cut whilst the nine directors took a rise. Working bank holiday monday for treble time then not getting paid it. No breaks even on a twelve hour shift. Having to run a large six colour machine on your own when they couldn't cover it.

My blood boils even now when I look back. Stuff em - it's windows for me!

[tb2tb2]

 That was the exact attitude in our factory - do what we tell you or bugger off. Getting hauled into the office for not working overtime when they demanded it. getting a rollicking for having four sick days in a year, verbal warning if you were more than two minutes late clocking in. Being refused holiday because it didn't suit them. Being told you can't retire before sixty five because of the huge hole in the pension fund - caused in part by the Directors retiring at fifty then returning as 'consultants'. Told to take a pay cut whilst the nine directors took a rise. Working bank holiday monday for treble time then not getting paid it. No breaks even on a twelve hour shift.

did we all work at the same place

[Fieldsy]

I was just thinking the same thing....lol

I loved being dragged into the office..

 WORKS MANAGER :" your not doing any overtime!!!!, why not, the union states you must do a certain amount every year"

ME: " cos I don't want to, I work nights all bloody week, only really get to see family at weekends, the rate isn't worth it by the time you take into consideration travel and tax, and the union also states that we have a rise every year, so don't start quoting me union rules"

End of Convo 

We were actually told, the trustees of the company decide if you can retire or not................yeah right, bollox did they

[SteveAllan]

I'm ex print as well guys, the bloody chinese bought the factory i worked in and then laid us all off and shipped the lot to Turkey and mainland China - barstewards

[ftp]

Horrible job, either bored stiff or bricking it when things went wrong. Permanently knackered chasing treble shifts.

[johns window kleen]

To be honest I stumbled into this job,and thought I would give it a go,mainly because my next door neighbour was/is in the trade,{and started me out really}and I'd been given a good pay off by an Insurance company,so I could start with all the WFP kit,van and some work to start off with.

Somedays I love it, sometimes I absolutely hate it. I dont think it's beneath me,I just get mentally bored doing the same bloody houses/shops day in day out.

What I do know is that if you pull your finger out, and cull your round ruthlessly when needs be, you can do bloody well for yourself if you can stay focused and motivated.

[Fieldsy]

bricking it when things went wrong

on the odd occasion when the job either set off or something stuck to the cylinder blanket, and we hadn't spotted it

One liitle thing that really used to get me, was that the manager was given an allowance every year by the big chiefs for entertainment purposes...i.e christmas party etc...... We never had any christmas do's, he used to put it back through the books so that the accounts balanced better. Enough to say, he was an accountant before becoming managing director of a print company..................and knew bugger all about printing