howdy, my son is a newly qualified builder and his boss has him out and about doing jobs, he is having to use his own ute but gets no money for using it and what concerns me the most is the vehicle doesnt have commercial insurance so if he has a accident towing their massive trailer he wont have cover?. is this kosher? also right from the start of his apprenticeship he has been expected to have all his own tools but has never got tool money, the boss supplies blades etc but my son has to pay for his own repairs, is this normal?
ryanm2,
Mar 14, 7:47pm
Chippies are the lowest paid trade and more often than not get screwed by their bosses. Your sons situation sounds about normal unfortunately.
stevo2,
Mar 14, 7:57pm
He should not have to tow anything with his ute, nor should he have to run errands. He is expected to use his vehicle to get to and from work and he may need to work on different sites in the same day. If he uses his ute just to get to work and back, he will not require commercial insurance, if he has an accident doing company business with private insurance, its unlikely he will be paid out. I rarely use my van for the company I contract to but when I do, I charge them 70c/km. If Im going near Carters on the way to the jobsite, I will call in and pick up a few things and not charge km's. He will be expected to have a full set of tools and pay to keep them maintained. Tool money is a thing of the past. Our apprentices earn $x per hour and elect to have a sum paid into their tool account. (Most choose $1/hr). This money is untaxed and the tools are charged out at whatever the company gets charged. This finishes at the end of apprenticeship.
210sback,
Mar 14, 7:58pm
He should definitely not have to be using his own ute as a work ute,the boss is simply taking the piss.Its the norm to have own general tools.
ianab,
Mar 14, 8:03pm
Own tools is probably legit.
Use of a a private vehicle gets into all sorts of problems. Mostly insurance. Generally an insurance policy will cover "private" use, which means getting to work, or a jobsite in the case of a builder.
Now if the Ute is then used to go and pick up some building materials, then it's "Business Use". Have an accident doing that, and it's grounds to have your insurance declined.
I use my private vehicle for work, but the insurance on it is "Commercial Use", and I can also claim some mileage back on my taxes.
Need to talk to the boss about this scenario.
krames,
Mar 14, 8:06pm
hes getting taken advantage of unless hes on a better than average hourly rate
cagivachick1,
Mar 14, 9:28pm
$ 22 per hr, regularly has to tow a big trailer with materials etc, basically his ute is being used as a company ute
krames,
Mar 14, 9:39pm
22 p/h is below average for lower southisland let alone using his truck .tell him to bike to work and ask the boss to transport his kit around
peacebird15,
Mar 14, 9:42pm
I was contracting and found myself using my vehicles to do all sorts when it wasnt included in the deal.
My solution was to get massive saddlebags and kit bags and would show up on my motorbike.No more running guys home, picking them up, doing runs for parts, fuel or towing overloaded whatevers anywhere.
Man you can fit some gear on a bike when you REALLY have to
tweake,
Mar 14, 9:47pm
thats so rude. theres some mongrel bosses out there. if hes short cutting his staff what else is he short cutting. find another builder to work for.
cagivachick1,
Mar 14, 9:50pm
he is also paying for his fuel and RUCs that are being used up by work
krames,
Mar 14, 9:55pm
his boss wil be charging out a vehicle charge on a daily basis to his clients so in theory he is getting double that
cagivachick1,
Mar 15, 6:26am
i ment my son is paying for his own fuel and RUCs being used by work
jan2242,
Mar 15, 9:00am
Maybe he could borrow your car for a day then the boss would have to find alternative then?
hammer23,
Mar 15, 10:11am
Your son should give that builder the flick. The way he is being ripped off is an indication of the mindset of this bloke and it won't just be the vehicle he is being screwed over,tomorrow it will be something else so tell him to move on, your son sounds the type of young guy most builders would be glad to have on board.
hammer23,
Mar 15, 8:00pm
The insurance issue on your sons vehicle is a nightmare[sorry we won't pay out sir] but they also won't pay out on whatever he hits leaving your boy exposed to a megabuck claim from the other parties. I can't believe any boss would expose an employee to such a risk. Tomorrow give your boy running shoes so he can make a fast escape.
own tools ok and good idea the rest not so this boss is having a laugh so get a new one
cagivachick1,
Mar 15, 9:33pm
im sure he would love to borrow my new hilux
finelawns,
Mar 16, 7:30am
Insurance cover is one thing to discuss with the boss the other thing is the company work safe plan. Unfortunately there are a minefield if work safecrequirements and the use of vehicles and worker safety falls into that.get a copy of the company work safe plan your son would have a signed copy. Somehow I think private vehicle use will stop pretty quick
golfdiver,
Mar 16, 7:41am
I’m Not a builder, what does his employment contract state regarding vehicle usage? Start at that point and be very clear that he needs to be compensated. Plenty of jobs out there. A local building company pays the guys around $40 an hour and supplies a van, phone and major tools.
thumbs647,
Mar 16, 8:09am
LOL, i was going to suggest similar - sell the ute and buy a Suzuki Swift.
ianab,
Mar 16, 10:23pm
Heck, keep the Ute for the weekends, and buy a $1000 Corolla to get to work while he looks for a new job.
blueviking,
Mar 17, 6:27pm
As a "qualified" builder, he should be on at least $30 p/h. $22 is labourers wages. He could probably get close to $40 in Auckland. I know a good builder looking for staff.
m16d,
Mar 17, 7:26pm
You say he's newly qualified and getting $22/hr. Jeese, move on. should be on double that.
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