Christmas Dinner

[mel b 4,558]

3 hours ago, WILF said:

It’s like all those old type of jobs, modernised to a point that it’s shit mate……when I was a kid, we had a really decent crew of dustmen did our local round in South London, this was the time when you still had 6 or so lads in a crew and everything got carried in those metal bins over their shoulder.

My old man would bung the foreman a score (which I suppose wasn't bad 79/80 ) and them lads would clear any amount of shit from the back yard or wherever.

Look after them Christmas time to top it off, everyone’s a winner and I suppose they was having that little tickle all over the show and it made life worth living so to speak….but like everything else, they take away the tickle, add a load of rules and regulations, halve the men and now it’s all just as wank as the next thing. 

Id hazard lads at the yard years ago would have had a metal pile, a little pile of stuff to sell, all sorts to make a few more quid that men can feel good about……all that’s gone now, and f**k all works as well as it used to! 
Must do your nut in because you cop the worst of both worlds, your copping it off the management and your copping it off residents frustrated about all these rules and reg’s 
 

Absolutely bang on the money wilf.

It's never been a very pleasant or easy job , that's just the nature of the beast , but all the lads were grafters , and would just crack on with it , without a word of complaint. Anything you made on top , always made you feel good, and really motivated you.  If they caught you taking tat out of a bin now , you'd be signing on before the end of your shift.

When things go wrong now , the council just employs more management. I don't even know most of my managers now , because they work from home , and I've never even met them , you just hear new names and new job titles mentioned from time to time.

The rules are unbelievable.  It seems that most rules are just dreamed up , to annoy everyone , except the pen pusher that dreamed them up , to justify a wage that's double or treble the wage of a binman.

I always try my best with the public when they're ranting at me , because I can understand how frustrating it must be for them . They pay a fortune in council tax , but trying to get anything done is impossible.  I work for the council , I know the correct numbers to call , I know the right person to speak to , and I know what questions to ask , but it's still like banging my f***ing head on a brick wall.

One of the rules at work that always makes me chuckle  , is that you can't cross the roads at the yard . Whoever dreamed it up , is obviously completely oblivious to the fact , that a binman spends his whole working life , dodging in and out of live traffic , while dragging a couple of wheelie bins behind him .

A lot of folks just assume that working for the council is great . They're under the impression that you earn a fortune , finish at dinnertime , stand around not doing much all day , and get the best equipment . The reality is just miles away from that.

[eastcoast 4,733]

20 hours ago, Bendigo said:

I've just bought a rabbit jelly mould so going to do a pink rabbit blamange with green jelly grass as a center piece

When I 1st looked at this thought it might be a hare clapped on the slop.

[Daniel cain 50,122]

I can remember chucking the old bin men a few quid,when I was a teenager...they would let me chuck all sorts on...same with the local tip....before they trippled the work force and got cameras everywhere....they don't like the lads having a little tickle...that makes the world  go round

 

[mel b 4,558]

1 hour ago, Daniel cain said:

I can remember chucking the old bin men a few quid,when I was a teenager...they would let me chuck all sorts on...same with the local tip....before they trippled the work force and got cameras everywhere....they don't like the lads having a little tickle...that makes the world  go round

 

None of the managers will have ever been in business , and have no understanding of how things work , and how to do a deal , and get the best out of a deal.

They're mainly clueless fuckwits , that have spent a lifetime working for a local authority , and think that they get the best out of a man , by tying his hands and beating him with a stick. 

They understand nothing about , motivation , teamwork , efficency , or human nature.

[eastcoast 4,733]

50 minutes ago, mel b said:

None of the managers will have ever been in business , and have no understanding of how things work , and how to do a deal , and get the best out of a deal.

They're mainly clueless fuckwits , that have spent a lifetime working for a local authority , and think that they get the best out of a man , by tying his hands and beating him with a stick. 

They understand nothing about , motivation , teamwork , efficency , or human nature.

Often the same in construction, that and cocky green as grass kids with academic qualifications but no practical real world experience. Most get found out, when things go tits up, but just secure another position elsewhere and history repeats itself. 

[mel b 4,558]

9 minutes ago, eastcoast said:

Often the same in construction, that and cocky green as grass kids with academic qualifications but no practical real world experience. Most get found out, when things go tits up, but just secure another position elsewhere and history repeats itself. 

Oh I love the ones with all the qualifications,  but couldn't find there own arse in the dark.

I especially love it when they explain to me how I've been doing it wrong for the last 25 years , and they're going to sort it all out.

I really go out of my way to help those fuckers .

[low plains drifter 11,456]

I like the look of some of these beef boxes etc that  some of the farms offer from their own reared stock

 

[TRUEBRIT66 2,335]

20 hours ago, WataWalloper said:

Not up on the legalities of it but it’s common place up this way to do 12 on 2 off, especially on farms and most dairy farms will insist on it 

Don't want to boor anyone or ruin a nice thread but Its Illegal mate.

It goes on most definitely more so in industries and small businesses where there are no official time keeping requirements unlike HGV driving (don't get me started on drivers hours and regs) for example where Digi cards are used to record hours. Unfortunately it wont get picked up on until there is an accident and then HSE will (unlike Mel B's place it seems!) match up payroll with time sheets etc and heavy fines, prohibition notices, closure and in some cases custodial sentences are implemented if the WTD has been breached. 

Like I say in circumstances you and Chid mention the WTD is there to supposedly safe guard employees but its also used in a negative way by employers and in some cases completely ignored. 

Edited December 11 by TRUEBRIT66

[CHEVINFOX 3,684]

this will be popular with the foodies on here 

 

[Greyman 32,905]

First time in as long as I can remember we are not hosting this Christmas had 11 onboard last Christmas but this year the eldest and her fella are hosting on the new super yacht so be nice to walk away at the end of the day 

[mackem 30,939]

On 10/12/2025 at 05:35, mel b said:

I'm a binman tomo.

I thought of you earlier Mel,it was -20 with windchill and I saw a van collecting the bins,brutal running down streets in this weather.

[mel b 4,558]

5 hours ago, mackem said:

I thought of you earlier Mel,it was -20 with windchill and I saw a van collecting the bins,brutal running down streets in this weather.

That must be some hard going in those temps mack . He's doing it the old fashioned way as well. It's absolutely back breaking. 

I'm a driver these days , and I couldn't imagine doing that job anymore.  I used to love it , but looking back , it was f***ing awful .

[Greyman 32,905]

Homemade Christmas cake not a fan of icing so after it’s finished soaking up alcohol gets fed brandy every other day it will be sealed with an apricot glaze been going for over a month and soaked up half a bottle of brandy so far Mmmmmm

Edited December 12 by Greyman