what would you pay someone for day rate for forestry work

[Mark Bolam]

How old are you Stu?

 

Minimum wage -

 

Under 18 £3.64/hour

18-20 £4.92/hour

21+ £5.93/hour

 

Piece work has to add up to minimum wage, whether you cut enough timber or not (you'll soon know if it's not!)

 

Whatever age, you're getting raped on £50/day with fuel prices like they are.

 

A combi can full of mix and bar oil is worth £15.

 

Stand up and sort it, walk, put up with it.

 

Up to you mate.

[Brushcutter]

Is that 50 quid after tax or before?

[3dogs]

I would suggest that if your on a day rate you need to clarify your working hours then you will know your hourly rate, you will have some idea of volume per hour this will give you some idea of what you are capable of earning. I would also try to get your employer to provide your fuel and oil, if he will treat this as a pay rise.

 

You can go and earn £50 a day dragging brash from back gardens but working within the forestry industry even for poor money for a couple of years will give you a great grounding and loads of experience. With experience comes good money:thumbup1:

[Brushcutter]

With experience comes good money:thumbup1:

 

and a seat in the tractor out of the rain.

[Stu]

im 22 mark i didnt know they still had to pay you a minum wage, basically I get £50 before tax and fuel after that im probaly left with £45 maybe even less than that other day i was snedding up massive!!!!! hairy hemlock took about 3 days to sned them all there were so many! i was probaly doing 2 or 3 to a tank and it was drinking the fuel! after that i put some away for new bars and chains etc so not left with alot and o yh travelling costs

[Brushcutter]

im 22 mark i didnt know they still had to pay you a minum wage, basically I get £50 before tax and fuel after that im probaly left with £45 maybe even less than that other day i was snedding up massive!!!!! hairy hemlock took about 3 days to sned them all there were so many! i was probaly doing 2 or 3 to a tank and it was drinking the fuel! after that i put some away for new bars and chains etc so not left with alot and o yh travelling costs

 

That 50 quid is closer to 40 after tax and NI. With fuel oil, travel, wear and tear and lunch you seem to be on the short end the stick.

[Mark Bolam]

I would sit down and have a chat about it Stu, no point ranting and raving. Sounds like you're cutting decent weight to me, but I don't know what you're in.

 

Sorting your hours out and getting your fuel chucked in would be a start.

 

Work is tight out there at the moment, but you can't justify sending a grafter home with about £30 in his pocket after he's paid his stamp, tax and juice.

 

Softly,softly mate. Your employer may not realise how little he is paying you, and the matter might be easily sorted.

 

Good luck, whatever you do.

[Lorry thompson]

As Mark says go easy mate as work is hard to find but don't worry because good lads are even harder to find so stick at it for the experience and try finding weekend work etc you may impress someone and get paid what you are worth:) a lad who knocks out a few tone of timber gets himself to work and saves pay to repair his saws is worth more than 50 quid a day.

[onelab]

Hi Stu. Sounds like you're on a bit of a tough deal. Just out of interest what saw are you providing?

 

I did a bit of forestry last year when climbing got a bit thin on the ground.

I was getting £80/day, saw & fuel were all provided.

[TimberCutterDartmoor]

£50 gross for those hours is crap agreed.

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/forestry-woodland-management/27032-cut-extract-rates.html

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/forestry-woodland-management/26779-terms-conditions-gang-cutters.html

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/forestry-woodland-management/27126-cutters-how-much-m3-do-you-cut-day.html

 

What sort of forestry work is it? Can you not work on a tonnage rate?

 

Avoid tonnage and stick with volume. Tricky since as in the above threads, you can be felling 6" dbh sticks and that equals lower volume or final crop 30" dbh sticks and the volume per day should be much higher.

 

yh its my first job in forestry been doing it jus over two months but i feel i earn more than £50, done mostly hard wood coppice sites and problay cut anywhere now from 8 tons and my best being probaly 11 so far, surley day rate should be simalar to what i do on piece rate, ive done mostly piece rate so far but latley hes stuck me on day rate with him

 

I only feel day rate is fair if the cutter is complete crap and needs supervision; I couldn't afford to be paying someone anything if they cut zilch! But a low day rate is one way of not insulting the person. Piece rate is fairer overall I think as it's an incentive but again very big timber distorts the figures!

 

I'd ask for a bit more. Filling the combi cans up aint cheap anymore neither is driving to site. If you're doing 8-11 tonne a day then your cutting very well.