Advertisement
Help Keep Boards Alive. Support us by going ad free today. See here: https://subscriptions.boards.ie/.
https://www.boards.ie/group/1878-subscribers-forum

Private Group for paid up members of Boards.ie. Join the club.
Hi all, please see this major site announcement: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058427594/boards-ie-2026

Why are most hotel workers not Irish ?

1…6791112…14

Comments

  • #242
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    Nodin wrote: »
    .The majority of threads that you participate in see you produce a host of anecdotes which back up your opinion, which is usually hostile to Irish people, culture and the Irish state.
    rubbish. I am Irish, as Irish as you are. If you do not like what I post you should go for the ball, not the player. STALKERS like you who continually make personal attacks on other posters should be banned anyway. :D


  • #243
    mattjack
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,389 ✭✭✭mattjack


    gigino wrote: »
    No, he came out in early January when the thaw set it.;)

    And fair play to him, he was friendly, courteous, came on time, got paid, and the job worked. An Irish tradesman would have a face that would stop a bus if he only got paid 25 euro. I remember once paying a grumpy Irish plumber 80 euro for F*** all. There is a big lesson to be learned there. Next time I need a plumber I'll know where to go, on my neighbours recommendation. Of course the Polish fellow will probably have increased his prices by then :(

    As opposed to Irish tradesmen who are unfriendly,rude,late and the jobs never worked.I suppose you sat in your neighbours house quizzing him too about finding work , he friends finding work,hotels,waitresses etc etc.. 25 euro's sounds like an illeagal cash in hand nixer.Was he RGI registered ?

    Can I be a stalker too ?


  • #244
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    mattjack wrote: »
    I suppose you sat in your neighbours house quizzing him too about finding work , he friends finding work,hotels,waitresses etc etc.. 25 euro's sounds like an illeagal cash in hand nixer.

    Have not a clue. We all probably know some Irish tradesmen who prefer to be paid in cash, but I did not ask my neighbour how he paid him. I know when I once paid the grumpy Irish plumber 80 euro for F*** al, I paid cash and did not get a receipt. My neighbour was very impressed and thankful to get the job done though. Well recommended.


  • #245
    Nodin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 46,938 ✭✭✭✭Nodin


    gigino wrote: »
    rubbish. I am Irish, as Irish as you are.

    I couldn't care less where you're from.
    gigino wrote: »
    If you do not like what I post you should go for the ball, not the player. STALKERS like you who continually make personal attacks on other posters should be banned anyway. :D

    I'm going for the ball. Its a ball you've made up. You did it under your last user name as well.

    The following is a crock
    During the big freeze last winter, my next door neighbour had a pipe burst, and got a polish plumber to fix it for 25 euro. He said an Irish plumber would have been at least 50 euro.

    This is also a crock and another pathetic go at Irish people....
    An Irish tradesman would have a face that would stop a bus if he only got paid 25 euro. I remember once paying a grumpy Irish plumber 80 euro for F*** all. There is a big lesson to be learned there.

    We can all see it in your earlier "contributions" in this thread, one of which you got carded for.

    Here's your other contribution today - slagging off Irish names
    http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=76258154&postcount=297


  • #246
    mattjack
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,389 ✭✭✭mattjack


    gigino wrote: »
    Have not a clue. We all probably know some Irish tradesmen who prefer to be paid in cash, but I did not ask my neighbour how he paid him. I know when I once paid the grumpy Irish plumber 80 euro for F*** al, I paid cash and did not get a receipt. My neighbour was very impressed and thankful to get the job done though. Well recommended.

    Gigino you're letting youself down.Normally you know everything, now you answer "have not got a clue "....:pac::pac:


  • Advertisement
  • #247
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    Nodin wrote: »
    Here's your other contribution today - slagging off Irish names

    lol. Michael O'Leary is another Irish name and I have praised him and Ryanair in another thread, but despite all your stalking, you did not quote that, did you ?

    Now, stay on thread and mind your own business.


  • #248
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    mattjack wrote: »
    Gigino you're letting youself down.Normally you know everything, now you answer "have not got a clue "....:pac::pac:
    I do not know how my neighbour paid him. Nor did i ask.


  • #249
    Nodin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 46,938 ✭✭✭✭Nodin


    gigino wrote: »
    lol. Michael O'Leary is another Irish name and I have praised him and Ryanair in another thread, but despite all your stalking, you did not quote that, did you ?

    Now, stay on thread and mind your own business.


    What was the name of the Polish plumber wqho only charged 25 Euro? What was the specific job they did?

    What was the name of the Irish plumber who charged 80 'for **** all'? What was the specific job they were supposed to do?


  • #250
    mattjack
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,389 ✭✭✭mattjack


    gigino wrote: »
    I do not know how my neighbour paid him. Nor did i ask.

    :pac: your neighbour came in told you all this information of his own bat.


  • #251
    Nodin
    Closed Accounts Posts: 46,938 ✭✭✭✭Nodin


    gigino wrote: »
    I do not know how my neighbour paid him. Nor did i ask.

    Yet tou take the time to interrogate HR people about staff demographics and work related performance?

    You can find out about what holidays your civil service friends take....

    You can find out about what wages people you know working in charities earn.....

    ...but you can't be arsed asking the details of a call-out plumber who only charges 25 euro?


  • Advertisement
  • #252
    mattjack
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,389 ✭✭✭mattjack


    So , Nodin...once upon a time there was a little boy called Gigino...over to you Nodin..add a line or two


  • #253
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    mattjack wrote: »
    :pac: your neighbour came in told you all this information of his own bat.
    no. We were always good friends and the subject of his burst pipe following the sub-zero temperatures this time last year came up in conversation many months ago. He personally recommends the plumber he got.


  • #254
    mattjack
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,389 ✭✭✭mattjack


    gigino wrote: »
    no. We were always good friends and the subject of his burst pipe following the sub-zero temperatures this time last year came up in conversation many months ago. He personally recommends the plumber he got.

    Give us his name and number ?


  • #255
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    Nodin wrote: »
    Yet tou take the time to interrogate HR people about staff demographics and work related performance?
    I do not interrogate anyone, I chatted with a HR person whom I know socially. They may or may not be in the same sports club as I am : I am not giving you that information. Anyway, chat: thats what friends do some sometimes;)


  • #256
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    mattjack wrote: »
    Give us his name and number ?
    not on boards;)


  • #257
    Johnny Foreigner
    Closed Accounts Posts: 923 ✭✭✭Johnny Foreigner


    I would sooner pay an Irish Plumber 50 Euro to fix a burst pipe, than a Polish Plumber 25 Euro.
    Why?
    I believe the Irish should look after their own.
    The Irish man will spend that 50 Euro back in the Irish economy.
    The Polish man will send that money back home to Poland.


  • #258
    Micky Dolenz
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 44,079 ✭✭✭✭Micky Dolenz


    gigino wrote: »
    No, he came out in early January when the thaw set it.;)

    And fair play to him, he was friendly, courteous, came on time, got paid, and the job worked. An Irish tradesman would have a face that would stop a bus if he only got paid 25 euro. I remember once paying a grumpy Irish plumber 80 euro for F*** all. There is a big lesson to be learned there. Next time I need a plumber I'll know where to go, on my neighbours recommendation. Of course the Polish fellow will probably have increased his prices by then :(

    Sounds like you are supporting the black market.

    No legit business could call to your house and spend any time there and only charge €25. Thats €22 plus VAT. I assume he didn't have to supply any parts.

    PM me that plumbers name, I could hire him if he is willing to work for nothing.


  • #259
    mattjack
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,389 ✭✭✭mattjack


    Micky Dolenz wrote: »
    Sounds like you are supporting the black market.

    No legit business could call to your house and spend any time there and only charge €25. Thats €22 plus VAT. I assume he didn't have to supply any parts.

    PM me that plumbers name, I could hire him if he is willing to work for nothing.

    Same here


  • #260
    Crann na Beatha
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,763 ✭✭✭✭Crann na Beatha


    This post has been deleted.


  • #261
    Junglewoman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 151 ✭✭Junglewoman


    There's been little mention of the complexities of matching shift work patterns, including night work, with parental commitments. Also the low levels of pay may not cover child care costs even if you could find someone to childmind during 'anti-social' working hours. Hotel workers are not covered by the minimum rest periods between shifts in the working time directive and therefore can be rostered on back to back shifts. I worked in the industry for years for a reputable employer. For many who exited the industry it wasn't a matter of just pay or conditions but simply once they had children it became uneconomic and impractical to remain in a sector where these hours are the accepted norm. For those unemployed with family commitments this may be a valid reason for not entering the industry. Less of an issue for childless unemployed.


  • Advertisement
  • #262
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    Junglewoman wrote: »
    There's been little mention of the complexities of matching shift work patterns, including night work, with parental commitments. Also the low levels of pay may not cover child care costs even if you could find someone to childmind during 'anti-social' working hours. Hotel workers are not covered by the minimum rest periods between shifts in the working time directive and therefore can be rostered on back to back shifts. I worked in the industry for years for a reputable employer. For many who exited the industry it wasn't a matter of just pay or conditions but simply once they had children it became uneconomic and impractical to remain in a sector where these hours are the accepted norm. For those unemployed with family commitments this may be a valid reason for not entering the industry. Less of an issue for childless unemployed.
    welcome to boards Junglewoman and an excellent first post. Good point. Most jobs on or close to the minimum wage suit those without children best. Which is why a lot of the people you find in the hotel industry, restaurants etc are often young and often childless.


  • #263
    Bannasidhe
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,204 ✭✭✭✭Bannasidhe


    Junglewoman wrote: »
    There's been little mention of the complexities of matching shift work patterns, including night work, with parental commitments. Also the low levels of pay may not cover child care costs even if you could find someone to childmind during 'anti-social' working hours. Hotel workers are not covered by the minimum rest periods between shifts in the working time directive and therefore can be rostered on back to back shifts. I worked in the industry for years for a reputable employer. For many who exited the industry it wasn't a matter of just pay or conditions but simply once they had children it became uneconomic and impractical to remain in a sector where these hours are the accepted norm. For those unemployed with family commitments this may be a valid reason for not entering the industry. Less of an issue for childless unemployed.

    That is the heart of the matter. Working in an Irish hotel that operates a split shift system takes over your life.

    Many many years ago I began working as a chef in a family run, very reputable Irish hotel. I was 'promised' that my morning shift would be 10-2 so I could collect my son from primary school at 2:30 - never happened. Why - because restaurant orders were taken until 2 and bar food orders until 2:30 - so I had to pay someone to collect my son from school. If I was lucky I would get home by 3 - help him with homework, make his dinner, wait for the child minder and back to work for 5:30 - my shift officially began at 6 but being a 'fancy' hotel we made our own crisps for the bar. They had to be ready and in the bar for 6 which was also when first orders were taken.
    The shift ended when the last main course was sent out and the kitchen had been cleaned. Last restaurant order was taken at 9:30 - not too bad unless someone ordered well done fillet of beef or the 'Tasting' menu of 8 courses. On a very goodnight we might finish at 10:30 - usually closer to 11:30.

    If there was a wedding (average of 2 every weekend for 7 months) then forget the afternoon break - work started at 10 and finished around 11:30 that night. The staff did get a cooked dinner - but as the already hard pressed chefs also had to cook this while also prepping/serving weddings/lunch/bar food we usually found it was all eaten by the time we got a break.

    If we were short staffed - tough. For months on end (while waiting for the CERT placements to arrive) day off was reduced to one day a week.

    I did eventually become head Chef and did what I could about the working conditions, but there is little one can do about hours while split shifts are in place - with the exception of weekend kitchen porters, all the catering staff were on salary with no overtime ended up working for less then the minimum hourly wage. Forget getting a Friday or Saturday off - if lucky one might get 2 days off together every two months or so. Kitchen staff do not get tips. If one has a child the added costs of childminding essentially mean that you are working to pay a childminder to raise the child you rarely get to see.


  • #264
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    Micky Dolenz wrote: »
    No legit business could call to your house and spend any time there and only charge €25.

    when Air Lingus were charging 200 Irish pounds ( not euro ) to fly from Dublin to England 30 years ago, when money was money, who would have thought Ryanair could do it for 10 euro or less ?

    I would say 25 euro is a perfectly economical charge ( in fact good money considering the times we are in ) for a plumber to charge if he was new to the area, had low overheads, wanted to get his foot in the door, lived close to the job, had little or no travelling time and spent only 30 minutes on the job.

    You are not a plumber who would prefer to charge 80 ( or 180 ) euro yourself by any chance ?
    Micky Dolenz wrote: »
    Thats €22 plus VAT. I assume he didn't have to supply any parts.

    You do not have to register for vat unless your turnover is over a certain threshold.

    Micky Dolenz wrote: »
    PM me that plumbers name, I could hire him if he is willing to work for nothing.
    Its almost certain he would not offer a nationwide service for 25 euro. Even if he called back to my neighbour to do the same job now, I'd say his price may have increased. I'm sure his English would be better and he would have built up enough of a reputation to be able to charge more. However, in whatever part of the country you are in, it does pay to shop around;)
    Maybe if you want to enquire the Price of a Polish plumber or Latvian you could ask for a recommendation in your local Polish or Latvian shop ? Get a price anyway, and only pay if the jobs done properly. Then report back here on your experience.


  • #265
    DoneDL
    Closed Accounts Posts: 902 ✭✭✭DoneDL


    Maybe if you want to enquire the Price of a Polish plumber or Latvian you could ask for a recommendation in your local Polish or Latvian shop ? Get a price anyway, and only pay if the jobs done properly. Then report back here on your experience.[/QUOTE]

    priceless:D


  • #266
    Johnny Foreigner
    Closed Accounts Posts: 923 ✭✭✭Johnny Foreigner


    DoneDL wrote: »
    Maybe if you want to enquire the Price of a Polish plumber or Latvian you could ask for a recommendation in your local Polish or Latvian shop ? Get a price anyway, and only pay if the jobs done properly. Then report back here on your experience.

    I think I am more likely to get in an African taxi than do that.
    I don't know what is worse for the Irish economy?
    Polish plumbers or African taxi drivers.
    Either way I would rather pay more for an Irish worker and look after our own first.
    Ireland needs to get back to our old school values.


  • #267
    Johnny Foreigner
    Closed Accounts Posts: 923 ✭✭✭Johnny Foreigner


    Bannasidhe wrote: »
    That is the heart of the matter. Working in an Irish hotel that operates a split shift system takes over your life.

    Many many years ago I began working as a chef in a family run, very reputable Irish hotel. I was 'promised' that my morning shift would be 10-2 so I could collect my son from primary school at 2:30 - never happened. Why - because restaurant orders were taken until 2 and bar food orders until 2:30 - so I had to pay someone to collect my son from school. If I was lucky I would get home by 3 - help him with homework, make his dinner, wait for the child minder and back to work for 5:30 - my shift officially began at 6 but being a 'fancy' hotel we made our own crisps for the bar. They had to be ready and in the bar for 6 which was also when first orders were taken.
    The shift ended when the last main course was sent out and the kitchen had been cleaned. Last restaurant order was taken at 9:30 - not too bad unless someone ordered well done fillet of beef or the 'Tasting' menu of 8 courses. On a very goodnight we might finish at 10:30 - usually closer to 11:30.

    If there was a wedding (average of 2 every weekend for 7 months) then forget the afternoon break - work started at 10 and finished around 11:30 that night. The staff did get a cooked dinner - but as the already hard pressed chefs also had to cook this while also prepping/serving weddings/lunch/bar food we usually found it was all eaten by the time we got a break.

    If we were short staffed - tough. For months on end (while waiting for the CERT placements to arrive) day off was reduced to one day a week.

    I did eventually become head Chef and did what I could about the working conditions, but there is little one can do about hours while split shifts are in place - with the exception of weekend kitchen porters, all the catering staff were on salary with no overtime ended up working for less then the minimum hourly wage. Forget getting a Friday or Saturday off - if lucky one might get 2 days off together every two months or so. Kitchen staff do not get tips. If one has a child the added costs of childminding essentially mean that you are working to pay a childminder to raise the child you rarely get to see.

    God help you. That was modern day slavery.


  • #268
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    Johnny Foreigner wrote: »
    God help you. That was modern day slavery.

    its tough all right, but at least we have the minimum wage - which is one of the highest in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country


    If you want to use the word slave, think how some workers in some other countries are treated - including ones which made many of the items in your home.


  • #269
    woodoo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,219 ✭✭✭woodoo


    gigino wrote: »
    its tough all right, but at least we have the minimum wage - which is one of the highest in the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_minimum_wages_by_country.

    Do you propose lowering the min wage? Where would that leave people when the dole is so high relative to it.


  • #270
    gigino
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭gigino


    woodoo wrote: »
    Do you propose lowering the min wage? Where would that leave people when the dole is so high relative to it.


    The dole ( and pensions etc ) should be lowered. As it is is roughly half in N. Ireland compared to here.


  • Advertisement
  • #271
    Johnny Foreigner
    Closed Accounts Posts: 923 ✭✭✭Johnny Foreigner


    gigino wrote: »
    The dole ( and pensions etc ) should be lowered. As it is is roughly half in N. Ireland compared to here.

    I disagree with you there.
    I am finding life on the dole tough.
    I have had to sell my BMW and buy a Mercedes instead.


This discussion has been closed.
Advertisement
Advertisement