Hmm!
Seems to me many do not seem to understand that there is no fixed pay rate for any job in the UK except, for an adult its not got to be below the national minimum wage.
I have seen Plumbing jobs advertised in the paper as "Paying above national minimum wage!" which can mean £5.81 per hour. Supply your own tools and transport.
The £12 an hour that Tamz quotes is correct, but and its a big but.
That is a union or JIB rate and only really applies if your a graded Plumber or member of a union. And then it is only if your employer is in the JIB or recognises unions and probably many small ones don't.
So you get what you can get.
In my area JIB companies have been scarce for years. I worked as a JIB Advanced and then Technical grade Plumber. The problem was there was never any opportunity to get work at the Technical grade pay rate.
Simply because, in say a company employing 50 Plumbers you may have only one or two Technical Plumbers, that basically meant getting a job as a Tech was difficult. And most of the Techs had usually been with their companies for years.
The available work was mostly Advanced grade, a grade which included supervisory positions if asked, in other words you could be asked to be a foreman without a raise in grade.
I did however work as a Technical manager working operative, for a small company but never got the JIB pay rates. Being fair though, they did pay what they could afford, it was a decent company and the work was steady.
Incidentally, when you work for JIB companies you usually get a fixed Allowance depending on the miles away from home you work. Its not very much as it may involve you travelling for hours just to get to work. You also have to keep your car on the road, although officially you are not required to have a car.
The travel costs are also worked out from the cheapest possible fares including day saver tickets to where ever you are asked to go. Some companies give you a free van, which you pay tax for if you take it home. Some give you a van but charge you for it.
You supply your own tools and get an allowance for sharpening them. They are insured only if taken from a locked box in a locked site box in a locked room.
Then it is only certain tools you can claim for.
Some companies pay bonus.
In my experience most bonuses are virtually unobtainable by the way, working normally.
Training costs, well they can differ, some companies will pay, but have conditions that you pay it all back if they sack you or you leave within 12 months and then it reduces by half for the next 12 months. Some probably expect you to pay for your time off attending courses yourself.
Some employers expect you to bill the customer, some invoice them. I have worked for a company in the past where I have been paid perhaps £5.20 per hour and been required to ask the customer for £22. That is 300% over cost of wages.
On insurance work the companies hourly rate can be as high as £60 ph you may get £7.50p
Some say an employer should not get more out of the job than the employee who does the job.
Lots of paperwork involved as any company can't really keep track of spending without it.
So its quite expensive being even an employed Plumber.
Have a look at the JIB website and read it for yourself. It is most definitely not a well paid job. And the idea that employers are the only ones who work hard for companies seems to be a myth. Don't forget its as much in an employees interests that the company does well as it is the employers.
I was often working until midnight on paperwork and plans all unpaid. It was a case of pulling together to keep working.
The problem now seems to be perhaps that employers are taking to much profit and their running costs are to high.
I know they have running costs, but they usually get good wages and profits as well.
And let's not forget its the customer that pays it all. So they are entitled to a fair deal.
Its more a case of what is a fair amount for an employer?
The UK has just called all their contractors in and told them to cut their profits on government jobs.
