Why are Horticultural professionals SO devalued?

[Trailoftears]

This is a rant basically! I've been s.employed for what?40 odd years now,and without bigging myself up, I'm pretty damn good at what I do.That is to say-a multi discplined trade.When I look at the wages offered for horti roles-the wages offered-at best,are frankly insulting.For instance,a typical N.Trust job will ask for say,Chainsaw cert,herbicide cert.Public facing skills,the ability to run and maintain a fleet of various horticultural machines,the ability to organise and train up trainee gardeners.Plus budgetry skills/competence too.Nothing wrong with that,but given the demands,these are £40,000+jobs all day long.BUT not in Horticulture-we are supposed to take on roles like this for £22,000-if you are lucky!This offends me so deeply.Is it because Gardeners are seen as 'thick'?

It angers me,in that say the National Trust are hoping they will be able to get multi disciplinary professionals on the cheap-i.e at half the salaries they should actually be earning.Whilst I understand the N.T. have a finite amount of resources-the wages offered in my profession deeply offend me.As an example,as a S.E. gardener,I make somewhere around the £40,000 mark a year,its hard  work and I often have to do 6 days a week to get my schedule done.Its bloody hard work-easy money it AINT.My point is we Are ALL worth this sort of wage level.

Dont let the 'employers' tell you any different!

Will the guys and Girls in suits back at the office mow soaking wet lawns on a Monday morn/get down on hands and knees to weed a border/fell a dubious ash tree/drain a ride-on mowers sump-etc,etc?Nope,cuz they have an extremely limited skill set-unlike most of us used and abused in this sector.

 

[Joe Newton]

Being offended is a choice.

[Trailoftears]

Of course,in an ideal World,we shoud be unionised,but given our generally isolated roles that probably isnt going to happen.But really,to be expected to do our jobs @say £10 an hour is worse than insulting-Given the weather/physical demands and danger of many of the tasks faced and expected of us.

[Trailoftears]

3 minutes ago, Joe Newton said:

Being offended is a choice.

Being abused is not.

[Mick Dempsey]

1 minute ago, Trailoftears said:

Being abused is not.

Well it is in the UK, if you don’t like the money get another job. 
Plenty about atm.

[Trailoftears]

You sound like an employer ...

[Mick Dempsey]

Is that a bad thing?

[Trailoftears]

2 minutes ago, Mick Dempsey said:

Well it is in the UK, if you don’t like the money get another job. 
Plenty about atm.

So we all should become couriers/mcDonalds employers you think?Suprise me,you flog your staff for fekk all!

[eggsarascal]

Authorities, charities have always paid less than the private sector due to the perks you get, company van, phone, fuel card, sick pay, amount of holidays and historically a decent pension. When I worked for an authority the money was average, I made decent money out of it because I was willing/needed to put the overtime in. Unfortunately lots of those perks have gone and the salary hasn’t risen.

[Trailoftears]

Its nice to see the Employers union of 'the lazy fekkers' should all be happy to work for a bowl of rice plus a new pair of boots once a year are alive and well on the forum