Almost 90 per cent of our work is across the water and I only use guys from here

Almost 90 per cent of our work is across the water and I only use guys from here

8 June 2016

THE weekly exodus of tradesmen across the water is starting to tell on local construction. 

That is according to one tradesman, turned businessman, who is straddling both building worlds.

Philip Polly says he is finding it increasingly difficult to recruit bricklayers and other tradesmen for local work because most of them are travelling overseas, 50 of whom are his own workers.

He said the huge numbers of travelling workmen meant there was an emerging local shortage, which, he warned was starting to impact on domestic enterprise.

Explaining that bricklayers, like him, were the first tradesmen hit by the recession, 31 year-old Philip said he realised it was time to batten down for a “tough ride” as the 2008 financial crisis dealt a deadly blow to the construction industry.

Spotting a gap in the market as home improvements began to replace the popularity of new builds, he launched a conservatory roof replacement business.

Starting out with one conservatory a week locally, he soon began to get inquiries from England, prompting him to take a punt on a national advertisement, investing “every last penny he had.”

Holding his breath awaiting publication, he said the risk proved life-changing, plunging Philip unexpectedly into the new realm of commuting builders.

He now employs five full-time members of staff, some of whom are responsible for the complicated logistics of sending 50 subcontractors a week to England before returning to their families for the weekend. 

Philip, who was named Young Business Personality of the Year in 2014, said his workers were among hundreds now jumping on Monday morning flights and ferries for England and, following recent expansion into the Channel Islands, were also going further afield.

Like many construction bosses, he said he at first tried to use workers he didn’t know for his English jobs, but quickly realised local men, despite the need to transport them hundreds of miles, gave him a better guarantee of success.

“Things at that time were really slowing down in Northern Ireland. If we had kept going here we might not have survived or would at least have struggled to make ends meet,” he said.

“We went over to England with one man and by the next week we had four men. 

“At the start I used workers I didn’t know and I was let down at times. That is when I thought I would build the business with guys I know even though it means a lot of planning. Almost 90 per cent of our work is across the water and I only use guys from here.”

Flying first thing on a Monday morning, Philip said the typical routine is for his tradesmen to do two jobs per week before returning home on a Thursday evening.

All family men with young children who they want to see often, he said he had decided to work with the Monday-to-Thursday model rather than a three week stint used by other firms.

“Our guys want to get home so they are happy and as a result we are happy,” he said.

“It works well having work in England as the pay is decent, the jobs are secure and the men are not away from home for more than three or four nights maximum.

“Good workers are hard to come by and we have been very fortunate with the men we have.

“My guys fly in their work gear. They will bounce in the van at the end of the day, park up in the airport and go straight to departures, still in their work clothes.

“The boys are leaving their houses at 5am, travelling to an airport and some of the guys travelling on to Jersey have to get a connection. 

“Once they get there they have a full days work ahead of them. They go back to their hotel, have dinner and go to bed and by Tuesday they are rested and ready for another full day.

“It is a big commute but it has become normal for so many. The recession was very tough but we are pushing hard.”

Philip, who also has a property company in Downpatrick, said the problem beginning to arise from the huge trend of super commuting was that it was becoming increasingly difficult to get workers for his Belfast-based jobs.

“It is so hard to find bricklayers and other tradesmen for local work. It is tough because so many are travelling over the water,” he said. “That has become the norm and it is leaving a shortage at home.”