12 | JULY 2019
News
Installer News is
sponsored by FENSA
SURVEY REVEALS HIGH JOB
SATISFACTION AMONGST
UK TRADESPEOPLE
Almost three quarters
of tradespeople in the UK
are happy in their work,
despite working long hours
and regular weekends,
according to a new survey
carried out by the country’s
largest online supplier of
ironmongery, Ironmongery-
Direct.
The poll, completed by
over 950 tradespeople, saw
72% of respondents rate
themselves as ‘happy’ or
‘very happy’ in their cur-
rent role, with 70% saying
they would recommend
their job to others. This
was despite almost half
(46%) of those surveyed
working over 45 hours
every week, 54% regularly
working weekends and
almost a third (29%) taking
less than two weeks holi-
day a year.
The findings are in con-
trast to the overall decline
in job satisfaction across
the UK, highlighted by a
recent survey* which found
that workplace happiness
has dropped steadily over
the past three years, with
only 41% of staff reporting
being happy most of the
time at work.
Commenting on the
survey findings, Wayne
Lysaght-Mason, Managing
Director of Ironmongery-
Direct, said: “For too long
academic professions have
been portrayed as the
aspirational career routes
to pursue while occupa-
tions in the trade sector
are viewed as second class.
This couldn’t be further
from the truth.
“There are a huge num-
ber of benefits for those
taking up a trade and the
results from our survey
show just how fulfilling
and rewarding a career on
the tools can be. With acute
skills shortages felt across
the whole construction
sector, it is the perfect time
for young people to pursue
a trade career and join this
flourishing industry.”
Skills shortages (reported
by 64% of respondents),
which are compounded by
record employment levels,
mean a trade career is
likely to offer long-term job
security. With 10% of the
UK construction workforce
made up of overseas work-
ers**, the issue could be
even further exacerbated
if immigration is restricted
under the terms of Brexit.
Furthermore, 22% of cur-
rent tradespeople are aged
over 50 while 15% are in
their 60s, so new talent is
urgently needed to replace
those nearing retirement.
Trade skills can lead to
lucrative careers, with half
of the survey respondents
earning £30k or more. There
are also good prospects for
self-employment, which
offers added flexibility,
control and the option to
be selective when taking on
work. This is reflected in the
survey, with 78% of self-em-
ployed tradespeople rating
themselves as ‘happy’ or
‘very happy’ at work.
www.ironmongerydirect.com
SUPALITE HELPS TRADING STANDARDS BRING
DURHAM CLADOVER ROOFERS TO JUSTICE
SupaLite, the Preston-based tiled roof specialists, recently lent support to Trading
Standards to help with a case against a company operating in County Durham.
Steve Hacking, Managing Director of
SupaLite explains: “We were informed by
Durham Trading Standards that a homeown-
er had complained about a SupaLite roof
installation. As with any case of this nature,
we conducted a thorough investigation. It
quickly became clear that this was in fact
yet another cladover, falsely sold as a Su-
paLite tiled roof.”
Members from the SupaLite team acted as
witnesses to the case, as the two men told
homeowners they were approved suppliers
of the SupaLite tiled roof system. The pair
pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud con-
sumers and were sentenced to 32 months
each in prison.
Steve continues: “This is sadly becoming
an all too common issue, where companies
brazenly claim to offer SupaLite roofs and
ultimately cause damage by delivering a
botched and frankly dangerous cladover.
We fight cases just like this on a regular
basis, as we look to protect both consum-
ers and the SupaLite name. We therefore
urge homeowners to check our website to
make sure companies are actually registered
installers of our roof system.”
Andrew Cook, Special Investigations Team
Leader at Durham Trading Standards adds:
“After receiving a number of complaints
from local homeowners, we began an in-
depth investigation into the work completed
by the company involved.
“Along with misrepresenting their roofs
as the SupaLite product, they also damaged
customer’s properties, falsely diagnosed
roofing issues, grossly overcharged, under-
took poor quality work and claimed affilia-
tion to other brands.
“I would like to thank the SupaLite team
for their assistance during the investiga-
tion. I sincerely hope that the sentence in
our case serves as a true deterrent to other
traders who are thinking of making similar
false claims.”
Genuine SupaLite tiled roofs are manufac-
tured and installed by registered fabricators
and fitters across the UK. Available in a
range of styles and configurations, and fully
accredited for Building Regulations approv-
al, a SupaLite tiled roof is not only easy to
manufacture and install, it’s a cost-effective
solution that helps homeowners create a
useable space all-year-round.
SupaLite has recently produced a 10-min-
ute sales presentation film which highlights
the dangers of cladover roofs. The film pro-
vides homeowners with information which
will help them to ensure that the don’t buy
from unscrupulous traders. It can be seen
on the Supalite website and on YouTube.
www.supaliteroof.co.uk