Wage to expect as a bricklayers labourer?

[rossjackson92]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently getting £80 a day, in a 2+1 gang. Happy with the wage considering I'm on site so with the Silo and the forklift on hand it's not the hardest job in the world, but still physically demanding.

However, I am a good labourer, the two chaps have their trowels in hand all day and I'm usually well ahead of them loading out. I do all the pointing in as well among other duties.

I don't really get told what to do I just get on and do it.

The problem is I'm self employed, so with no holiday pay and the fact the weather can be bad sometimes it makes me think I might as well go and get a minimum wage job in a warehouse or something.

I'm not learning the trade either as I'm busy getting muck or loading out all day. So to me seeing as they are earning anything between 800-1000 each most weeks and i'm getting 320 a week after tax, I feel i should be getting a bigger piece of the pie seeing as I'm the one breaking my back everyday.

I know £10 an hour is a good wage for a labourer, but I've heard site work for good bricklayers labourers can earn £100 or more a day.

What do you think?

Cheers

 

[vinn]

I've known 2and1 gangs where they split the money equally. Find out what the weigh in is and go for at least £100/day. Discuss the business with your brickies. If you are a top, self starting labourer then you are worth much more than the almost basic wage of £7.50 (?). Thats MacDonalds money.
Get them to give you time on the line, & after a few months you'll be on to racking corners.
Be polite but firm dont back down and keep eye contact. (I know its easy to say but can be tough to do).

Most people have a limited work life in the trades so get skilled & make money while you are still young and healthy. The work & the weather rips the body - no ones excused.

 

[noseall]

The work & the weather rips the body - no ones excused.

I'll vouch for that.


It's happy days on site at the mo' so make hay whilst the sun shines. A labourer is an important part of the mechanism so don't get left behind. It's when the work dries up or there is a glut of labourers that things get sticky.

 

[Bob a job]

Negotiating salary can be quite daunting, however we all have to make a living whilst young and able!

Try to meet with your boss without then having to work together for the day, it will give him time to go and reflect and feel less under pressure and you are more likely to get honest feedback, maybe ask if he could spare 30 minutes at the end of the day at some point to discuss things and then do a brilliant days work. He may ask why but just say if we could leave it to the end of the day you would appreciate it. I guarantee he will be thinking that day what if you were ill, didn't work for him anymore, etc, adding more weight to your discussion if he values you as a labourer.

Good luck, it is hard to come by hard working young labourers that want to get out of bed!

 

[^woody^]

If the gang is on price work, then if not an equal split, then at least 80% of what the brickies get, perhaps more like 90% for a good hoddy.

If daywork, then there will be regional differences. But £80 seems poor for a good hoddy, perhaps £100. But it depends on what money is available in the job.

 

[WabbitPoo]

You're self-employed so don't expect someone to pay you more just because you say so...you have to be prepared to walk away. Of course, then you're competing with v cheap labour. This is called capitalism. Its tough being self-employed and you need to know what you need to earn to make it viable. Otherwise, yes try and get a job somewhere or better still, get education in a trade eg bricklaying if that's your thang.

 

[Nige F]

You'd be better off in a warehouse - IF you were shinning the ladder and knocking up by hand ( the bad old days) then you would be worth a 3 way split. IMHO you might as well be moving stuff on one level under cover and maybe getting a forklift licence too. If you're interested/ keen on the trade do a bit @ weekends in gardens etc to supplement your Mon.-Fri. job . You can be self employed doing that and claim for your van/tools/ etc. And be employed too Good Luck anyways.

 

[rossjackson92]

Thanks for the replies guys sorry it has taken me a while to reply.

They are on price work so I know they are getting £400/1000 bricks and £1/block, plus more for lintels and seals/headers etc. What ever amount that comes to on each scaffold lift I don't know.

The two chaps can do 1500+ bricks a day average i guess, when I work for just the one of them he can get about 1000+ down on his own depending on what's going on throughout the day. So they're definitely doing alright with me there.

 

[WabbitPoo]

Jeez - 600 squids a day? I'm in the wrong line of work.

 

[rossjackson92]

Jeez - 600 squids a day? I'm in the wrong line of work.

Well 1500 bricks between them so they probably earn £200-£250 each most days after paying me, possibly more.

My guess is they are earning about £1000 each with me (after paying me as well), or £750 each a week without me. But I would say that is based on an average week as well.

 

[Nige F]

Thanks for the replies guys sorry it has taken me a while to reply.

They are on price work so I know they are getting £400/1000 bricks and £1/block, plus more for lintels and seals/headers etc. What ever amount that comes to on each scaffold lift I don't know.

No disrespect M8 but you need to know how many they are doing per day, and keep a note so that you can state your case for more £ to them. A lot of the work in bricklaying is calculating and measuring accurately, taking off plans etc. Now I trained as a plumber and I am so c-rap at maths I can't do a darts score in my head, point is I didn't need to do a lot of measuring - you can transfer the length for a piece of pipe from one place to the pipe by holding your finger on the tape measure, and offsets in smallbore copper can be judged. Well that's how I winged it anyway They may think that because you're a good labourer and keep your head down they can let things stay as they are. Get your argument prepared and then tell them- they might be surprised and concerned you'll be off then they loose a good labourer and someone gains a good trainee bricky. All the best of luck M8.

 

[^woody^]

The OP needs to work out his worth and tell the brickies that.

The important thing is though, he needs to be prepared to walk if they won't pay him what he thinks he is worth.

So have an alternative lined up first.

 

[catlad]

If your keen, self motivated to learn and reliable then they would be foolish
not to pay you £100 a day.

 

[Cian Whitwood]

I’m currently a brickies labourer and we’re subcontracted to a firm, I seen a lot of discussion about what kind of money you should be earning, me personally I’m on just of £400 a week after tax, can earn more depending on hours we put in but we work 9, - 1 hour unpaid break, for someone that’s just started out in the trade be careful because they will try pay you peanuts, not only you get paid a crap wage you’ve got to minus your 20% because your self employed, the trade is physically demanding but has its perks. My duties are 1. Mixing 2. Loading out 3. Drilling and fitting starter ties 4. Pointing 5. Laying bricks and Blocks 6. Tidying 7. Cutting blocks 8. Fitting steels and lintels luckily for me I’m not doing everything my self as the brickie helps me out too, we work well as a team and we get along, I have not experience as I never did an NVQ and I started in September 2019 and I’m laying bricks without any help. The bricklayer I work with has taught me everything I know and he still lays 600+ bricks a day while learning me depending on weather conditions obviously. What I want people to know is, don’t work for peanuts £75-80 a day is correct for a labourer (new starters) always watch the brickie and learn, ask questions, a brickie is nothing without labourers so they should respect you. Everyday I graft no matter how hard because at end of day in a few years time I’ll be the one laying and someone will be labouring me. Take it as a learning curve, the £75-80 a day will soon turn into £200+ a day remember that