Working on site, Hard getting paid

[DanRo]

Hi Everyone,

My mate and are are working for one of the main contractors on a site. I've been on there for about 7 months and my mate for a year. We are both joiners.

The outfit we work for have paid us on time maybe twice in that time. We are meant to be paid fortnightly. Always the same excuses. Normally along the lines of he is waiting for money himself. It would seem that he may be sending some of this money abroad for some houses he is building.

Well it is coming to crunch time and the end of the job.

I am currently nearly 6 weeks in arrears.

Yes, it shouldn't have got to this but I feel stuck. Cant walk away because it has got too much.

It is not just me and my mate who are owed. There are painters and labourers owed even more. He just gives us another story every day.

Has anybody else found themselves in this situation?

What with money being tight and Xmas on its way it is looking grim.

He still comes to the site even though there is just a skeleton crew. But trying to get an honest answer is like getting blood out of a stone.

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

 

[gregers]

i had this once with a contractor,i politely told him i knew where he lived

 

[corgiman]

i had this once with a contractor,i politely told him i knew where he lived

and how did that sort it?

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

Danro, get all like minded peeps together and stop work now, demand all back pay before doing more (potentially unpaid) work.

"I know where you live" doesn't work.

Give the guy a deadline and stick to it.

You have the opton of court action (but not if he goes skint)

At this moment he needs the job finished, this is your best bargaining tool.

Have a "give it to me straight" chat. (you must have some form of relationship)

Good luck (sadly I think you might need it)

 

[Thermo]

he is probably banking on the fact that none of you will stop work. as said befor have a chat with the rest of the trades. If the bottom line is that you arent going to get paid, then why carry on working for nothing?

if necessary go down the legal route

 

[kirkgas]

not paying people must be about the worst thing about this job, read yesterday about an agency which shut down last year owing guys about £100k, the owner is opening back up in the same office using the same phone number and changing the company name slightly (as it is a new company!!) he blatently says he can't pay outstanding monies as it was the old companys responsibility, but he will throw the guys some work when he gets up and running again cheeky barsteward.

 

[Thermo]

people soon get a name when they do that. people have long memories when theyve had empty pockets

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

not paying people must be about the worst thing about this job, read yesterday about an agency which shut down last year owing guys about £100k, the owner is opening back up in the same office using the same phone number and changing the company name slightly (as it is a new company!!) he blatently says he can't pay outstanding monies as it was the old companys responsibility, but he will throw the guys some work when he gets up and running again cheeky barsteward.

We have a glazing firm near us who go broke once every 12 months or so (just to get out of warranty work so I am told) It is morally wrong that they can reopen under a similar name with the same peeps running it and the same premises and stock etc.

 

[gregers]

i had this once with a contractor,i politely told him i knew where he lived

and how did that sort it?

i basically told him i would tear him a new orifice,it worked for me at the time,whether i wouldve carried it out is another matter.but as im 6'2 and weigh 16 stone i think he didnt want to find out

you could also get together with all the others and strip out all the work thats been done but hasnt been paid for(dunno if this is legal?)but might make you guys feel a bit better,ie might wake him up a bit to pay you guys for your hard work.i hope you get this sorted.

 

[Bilioustrumpstaine]

i had this once with a contractor,i politely told him i knew where he lived

and how did that sort it?

i basically told him i would tear him a new orifice,it worked for me at the time,whether i wouldve carried it out is another matter.but as im 6'2 and weigh 16 stone i think he didnt want to find out

you could also get together with all the others and strip out all the work thats been done but hasnt been paid for(dunno if this is legal?)but might make you guys feel a bit better,ie might wake him up a bit to pay you guys for your hard work.i hope you get this sorted.

So the way forward is to threaten the contractor with physical violence and then threaten to carry out criminal damage to the site.

If I was the contractor I would have any person offering such a course of action removed from the site, possibly charged, and they could go hang for the money.

Personally I think giving the guy a beating would be less likely to produce any money.

 

[gangman]

It's worked for me in the past.

 

[gregers]

Personally I think giving the guy a beating would be less likely to produce any money.

really.........thats probably the reason why the git hasnt paid his guys for the work they have carried out because no one has done it,and i bet hes done it on numerous occasions before,how many times have you got to say to the contractor WHERES OUR MONEY,coz once hes been paid how sure are you that he will do the honorably thing and lay out(no doubt)thousands of pounds to the guys who are really desperate for the money,hindsight is a wonderful thing and i personally would not wait without some form of strong action,but again thats me.

in the past i did some work for a large building firm that paid monthly,but the first months wages would actually take 6 weeks before i had it as cash and i told the agent if it bounces i will strip out everything ive put in and this was at my interview,he asked me to start 2 days later.

i personally think the contractor is taking the p155 hes expecting the O.P AND COLLEAGUES to work for sod all,amazing how far promises can buy stuff and pay bills.

 

[DanRo]

We'll my mate has spoken to him on the phone today. I guess that's something that he answered the phone. He is no longer visiting the site. Our last day tomorrow.

He has said that he will make sure we get our money as he is arranging some money from elsewhere.

He says he wants to keep me and my mate sweet because he wants us as joiners on another project. Which has been mentioned for months so it is not something he just made up.

I don't know if I am living in hope or expectation or both.

It could all be more lies.

 

[JohnD]

"If" you work for him again, agree with him before starting that you require to be paid weekly (e.g. up to the end of the preceding week) and that if any payment is missed you will stop working THAT DAY.

And you will only re-start when he has cleared all arrears and paid you e.g. a week in advance.

otherwise you are just letting him build up a bigger debt. And if he can't afford £1,000, how is he going to pay £2,000? Or £5,000?

Don't tell yourself you need to keep him sweet because he is giving you work. If you want to work for nothing, come and do it for me.

 

[nwph]

i had this once with a contractor,i politely told him i knew where he lived

and how did that sort it?

i basically told him i would tear him a new orifice,it worked for me at the time,whether i wouldve carried it out is another matter.but as im 6'2 and weigh 16 stone i think he didnt want to find out

you could also get together with all the others and strip out all the work thats been done but hasnt been paid for(dunno if this is legal?)but might make you guys feel a bit better,ie might wake him up a bit to pay you guys for your hard work.i hope you get this sorted.

So the way forward is to threaten the contractor with physical violence and then threaten to carry out criminal damage to the site.

If I was the contractor I would have any person offering such a course of action removed from the site, possibly charged, and they could go hang for the money.

Personally I think giving the guy a beating would be less likely to produce any money.

Surely the contractor should just pay his lads on time and then there would be no need for the threats .This course of action should only be a last resort and is very effective .

You must negotiate your own terms preferably weekly so this type of situation cannot get out of hand ,if they won't accept the payments terms in writing then get your tools and stop working .

I've been down this road before and you'll only do it once,you go to work for money not to do stuff for free ,personally i'd have left site ages ago .