22nd June 2004, 06:39 PM
You can pick and choose your employees when there are more applicants than vacancies. Yes, if you want the "best" you can offer above the going rate. As this does not seem to occur it might say something about how much value the employers place on "digger level" staff and their skills.
Whether there is a cartel is perhaps debatable, but I feel there is a viscous circle (please remember I am not a professional so I'm probing here) - tenders will have to be higher to be able to pay higher wages. So why aren't they if there is a shortage of experienced diggers?
Monkey, your other points about job security and so on are indeed a much debated problem that frankly I am struggling to offer any suggestions.
Whether there is a cartel is perhaps debatable, but I feel there is a viscous circle (please remember I am not a professional so I'm probing here) - tenders will have to be higher to be able to pay higher wages. So why aren't they if there is a shortage of experienced diggers?
Monkey, your other points about job security and so on are indeed a much debated problem that frankly I am struggling to offer any suggestions.