Crisis

So, another week goes by and another set of wages and salaries goes out of the bank account whilst nothing is getting invoiced and nothing’s getting paid.

Yes …I know there’s more to worry about and I know that Boris has been poorly and the queen is very concerned about us all.

But can I just say – if we don’t get back to work soon, there won’t be any work to come back to.

The construction industry needs to get back on its feet and just say – we can do this.

We can do this carefully and with all the correct personal protection in place.

It’s what we do.

We all have risk assessments and we all have method statements – and we all know what we’re doing – so let’s just do it.

If one more person tells me that the government are paying 80% of salaries and that I should just sit home and drink beer ….I will punch them in the face.

• The Government aren’t paying the wages of my team who are sat at home – I am.
• The Government have not made funding easy to either apply for or actually get – they have achieved approval of a whopping 1% of applications so far.
• Salaries are NOT the only cost that companies have to cover – what about insurances, rents, trade body memberships, accreditation’s, vehicles, machinery, hire purchase, professional indemnity, public liability …the list just goes on and on.

Yes, I might get 80% of the salary payments back at some distant point in the future …if the claim is agreed …and if some jobs worth ticks a sheet.

When this will happen, nobody knows …and for many companies I know ….it will be too little too late.

Currently I am owed a rebate of over £21K of VAT   – the details are being argued by the revenue at a point where to be quite honest  …I could do with the money.

I know that when a phone number or e-mail is given out to make a claim for furloughed workers …the website will crash and the phone number will melt.

You think trying to get a delivery from Sainsburys is tough ….try getting through to HMRC when they owe you money.

Yes, yes, and bloody yes ….I know why the decisions have been made to lock us all down.

Yes, yes and yes …I know people are sick and people are dying – people are always sick and dying – it’s how the world works. I know we have a pandemic and I know we will probably have another and another.

We need to change how we react and change our school of thought.

Dying is natural and it happens every day….it is sad and it is terrible that people are not getting the support they need. This is because of government cutbacks and pushing our critical services to a low point on the agenda.

This is the politician’s fault….and we have allowed them to do this.

We need to spend more on the NHS.

To be able to spend more we need to be back at work.

So please …for fucks sake…. can we have some common bloody sense and get people at low risk back to work and get the country off it’s knees ….NOW ….BEFORE ITS TOO LATE.

 

Mike C