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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
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    ireland/ Dublin
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    Default Bren guzzi X lineman

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    H guys. As the tital suggests I did my last overhead line job two years ago now. ( transmission tower steel changing )
    whats happenibg here in Europe. Especially the uk is that line work has become seasonal. They employ crews from April / May and lay the crews off in the fall. Around October ...... The result is you can't make a descent living from being a linesman any more .... It's a shame because I loved the job. ( over 30 years in many countries doin all types of linework )
    as ive got older I appreciate being at home more.
    Im now working steel erecting in Ireland. Money's pretty good and a lot of our work is inside major chemical companies etc. We do some heavy steel erecting outside with cranes but mainly its what we call " light steel" which can be half a ton per beam and all the cross member steel pieces etc etc. Designed to hold up big chemical pipes and such. The work continues all year round so on average I'm financially better off and are treated with a lot more respect than I did as a linesman....... Safety is of course of paramount importance. Every job is risk assed and planned to within an inch of its life . We are usually on a site with good canteen facilities washrooms and drying facilities.

    I do do miss the brotherhood of linesmen and I get a little bored staying on one site for months on end. But I'm home most nights with my family and that's more important than anything.
    So although I'm an EX LINEMAN. I will still be a lineman in my soul.

    I will ill check in on you guys from time to time ( as I have been doing these past few months..).

    So stay safe and " BE LUCKY "

    BREN...
    IF IT WASN'T FOR BAD LUCK WE WOULD HAVE NO LUCK AT ALL. !

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Ontario, Canada
    Posts
    1,012

    Default

    Congrats Bren! Decent paying steady work and close to home , what more is there? Yeah it takes a certain type of fella to be a lineman, but the truth of it is, the new way of doing linework isn’t better , and the new breed of lineman, well , let’s just say most of the good fellas are almost retired off!

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Jersey
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    2,512
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    Well Bren, I’m an ex lineman too, I’m retired. Frankly, I thought I would miss the work when I left, but the fact is the line trade in the USA ain’t what it used to be. I do miss the men I worked with, and get to see them from time to time.

    it sounds to me like you’ve done very well in your new trade, good for you! Being close to home and not traveling all the time is nice.

    theres a saying here about the USMC that goes “Once a Marine, always a Marine” it’s the same with linemen Bren, it’s a title no one can ever take away from you, you’ve earned it! Good luck and be well my friend. If I ever get to visit Ireland, we’ll share a pint!
    "It is not the critic who counts:The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena" Teddy Roosevelt

  4. #4

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    Was the "deskilling" of UK industry also a part of the decision Bren?

    One of the most notable effects of the European "union" was the mass influx of unskilled labour with debatable certification and a willingness to work for near minimum wage.

    It's not possible for UK tradesmen to work for minimum wage and afford to keep a roof over their families heads, so a lot of good tradesmen have had to move on to other types of work. Not a problem for short term immigrant workers who are staying in bulk in rented accommodation and will leave when they get bored or realise they have been exploited.

    I've also noticed the "any certificate does" approach replacing proper electrical training in favour of 1-3 day slideshow courses that "qualify" the attendees as "skilled" instantly. I lost work to a company that uses seasonal casual labour to do outdoor electrical work after pushing them through a smattering of these courses, using the patronising ECS safety test to get them JIB cards and then iced the cake by paying the NIC for blanket approval. I guess that with their token gesture certification the company can transfer liability onto them if someone dies or is injured.

    Welcome to the future. I too have been pushed out my trade.
    Portable defibrillators were first invented to save the lives of linemen. Where's yours?

    www.bigclive.com

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    ireland/ Dublin
    Posts
    2,119

    Default Cheers guys..

    I will be honest this is100% the truth. I was getting scared. Not of the job as such. But the influx of contractors that hired anybody that hey could get through the lines men's courses. I'm now 56. I started my aprenticeship when I was 18..
    I worked in Wales for three years. The jobs were easy enough. The big issue I had was the drug taking . Guys coming into work out of it " mainly cocaine ". If it was one guy I would have considered getting him sacked...but I was the one guy that wasn't on drugs. So as the " odd one out " I thought it was up to me to change. My supervisor used to say to me. Them f..King HOLLYWOOD linesmen will get ya killed Bren. Give a young person really really good money and no responsibility and it's a recipe for disaster. I've worked on towers nearly 1000 feet high, worked live " hot" from helicopters. So I don't scare easily. But the last few years I was scared for my own safety. It was when I realised I didn't care about my fellow linesmens safety I new it was time to go.... I was used to trusting in my brother linemen but this new breed I wouldnt trust to hold my wallet. Sad that it came to this but I suppose that's " progress "

    AND ANY ONE COMING TO IRELAND FROM THIS FORUM WITHOUT GETTING IN TOUCH WITH ME FOR A BEER .....WELL I,D BE UPSET TO PUT IT MILDLY.

    🇨🇮👍
    IF IT WASN'T FOR BAD LUCK WE WOULD HAVE NO LUCK AT ALL. !

  6. #6

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    Glad that you have been able to find employment close to home , it's a shame you aren't over hear as lineman are needed everywhere and although linework has changed drastically I have come to the realization that we can't stop progress even though sometimes it isn't for the better, the good news is some of us actually got to live the good old days and I wouldn't trade that for anything. Charlie.

  7. #7

    Default congrats

    Congrats on your change. I retired 2 years ago at age 53 with 32 years in. I started at age 22. I kinda miss it but they just kept making the job suck, more every year. A lot of companies have gps tracking in all the vehicles now and some have a camera aimed at the driver. They can tell if the pto is in and if the boom is in the air.
    Happy trails

  8. #8

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    There's always the Isle of Man Bren. Manx Utilities haven't fallen into the cheap labour trap yet.
    Portable defibrillators were first invented to save the lives of linemen. Where's yours?

    www.bigclive.com

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    ireland/ Dublin
    Posts
    2,119

    Default Thanks Clive.

    Quote Originally Posted by BigClive View Post
    There's always the Isle of Man Bren. Manx Utilities haven't fallen into the cheap labour trap yet.
    If they'd have me I'd be there tomorrow . 👍 I'd love to work on " the island " . If I could work anywhere it would be there Clive. Nothing to do with the racing. 😎😎😇
    IF IT WASN'T FOR BAD LUCK WE WOULD HAVE NO LUCK AT ALL. !

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    ireland/ Dublin
    Posts
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    Default New job

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    Didn't last on the steel erecting. 🙈 Got sick of being on one site for weeks on end. Zzzzzz. I'm surveying for a telecoms company . They are upgrading to 5G , so I'm climbing phone masts all over Ireland . Mostly get home nights but occasionally we've got to stay overnight. Suits my " gypsy" lifestyle so happier in myself now. Money's not as good but hey it can't always be about chasing the $$$$. Quality of life etc. Anyway still popping by to check in on you guys. 🤞🤞
    IF IT WASN'T FOR BAD LUCK WE WOULD HAVE NO LUCK AT ALL. !

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