Fare wage for climbers?

[Jack-Arb aka Tiago Sinclair-Julio.]

I there comrades,

 

I've been climbing since I completed my qualification at college shortly after my first arb job, about three years ago.

 

I was so supriesed that people climbing trees doing such a highly skilled work and dangerous too, were in cases getting little more than people filling shelves at tescos. At first i thought maybe its just this company but along the years I've worked in several other places. And in all of them I always felt that the amount paid to a skilled climbers was far to low. To give an idea I need to give some examples:

The first one a well established nation wide company paid on average to a intermediate climber between 6.50 to 7.50 an hour. To experienced climbers from 7.50 to 9.85. This in the Midlands 3 years ago, in my view this is day light robbery.

 

The only time i managed to get an half decent wages was working free lance, earning 13.50 hourly before tax. But at a cost - most trees were bastards that no one wanted to do.

 

Nowdays I've managed to get a job with a respectable company where the main focus is not profit but high quality tree work, followed by safety, the pay is not fantastic around 10.50 ph, plus a generous holiday package. But working in a atmosphere where good tree work is more important than the quantity of trees you do in a day is something I'd never experienced after working for all these contractors. So I guess I have a good deal.

 

What I want to get at is how much should a trained experienced climber should get paid working for a good company. I know theres no right answer because of all the variables, but surelly a more uniform picture around the country could exist.

 

Hope to hear your opinions soon!

Happy 2008 for all of you.

 

Jack

[Lee Winger]

your title should say ''fare wage for all'' but I agree with what your saying , being a company owner I can tell you first hand, the money in this job simply isn't there.