Commuting to the Middle East we were working in a country ravaged by war... but this is our dream

Commuting to the Middle East we were working in a country ravaged by war... but this is our dream

8 June 2016

THE ongoing difficulties facing subcontractors at home made a day-long and potentially dangerous commute into war-torn Iraq seem worthwhile for one team of entrepreneurial tradesmen.

Even the need for ransom insurance and the presence of intimidating armed guards did not deter two Crossgar cabinetmakers from commuting almost 4,000 miles to work in countryside ravaged by civil war.

Attracted by an alternative to the grinding pressures of local construction, Ciaran McMenamin and Simon McAllister, of the award-winning Lignum Interiors, were so pleasantly surprised by the fairer payment policies of abroad that they now travel the world with their own team to fit high end cabinetry.

From Iraq to Dubai, Russia, the USA and Canada, they are among a growing number of tradesmen now exchanging the relatively short hop to London with a mammoth commute.

Leaving young families behind, battling the complicated logistics of exporting their workers — and furniture — to far-flung sites and at times dealing with intimidating security arrangements has, they admit, been a “steep learning curve.” But it is a challenge they have been willing to accept because of their frustrations with the UK construction 

market.

And their dare-do attitude is paying off for the fledgling company, which last year scooped an Invest NI award for start-ups and which now carries out 90 per cent of its work abroad.

Thirty nine year-old Ciaran, who first worked in London before realising the opportunities available further afield, said it had become striking in recent years to hear the number of Northern Irish accents on the city’s sites.

Accustomed to catching the first Monday flight out of Belfast “packed with workers”, he says it is widely accepted that the reputation of Northern Ireland’s tradesmen means subcontractors often prefer to export their own workers. 

“We have the best quality tradesmen and the skills base at home is second to none. It is hard to know if it is due to the quality of training, natural skills or a strong work ethic, but our workers are sought out and despite the travel involved for them it works.”

Despite his awareness that companies like his often bring their own workers to Scotland and England, Ciaran said they were keen to avoid such complicated logistics when they signed their first contracts outside the UK.

Their resolve was, however, short-lived as they sought to impress their new foreign contacts.

Quickly realising, for “quality control reasons”, that they would need to entice their own locally trained men with them across the world, Ciaran said it suddenly became so clear why, everywhere they travel, they heard about the “dependability, work quality and skill” of Northern Ireland’s tradesmen.

“I am not sure anybody can pinpoint one particular reason our workers are so sought after but they definitely are and our own experience has proven this,” he said.

“When you commit to travelling far from home for a job you need to be confident of what you are providing, and that is fuelling this huge transport of workers every week.”

It was, he admits, challenging at first making furniture in Crossgar to be transported by sea freight to the Middle East before being fitted in heavily guarded luxurious gated compounds.

“There are a lot of hours to get there. It is a full day of travel, arriving at 3.30am with a squad and being on site a few hours later,” he said.

“We would travel for hours through countryside ravaged by civil war before entering a gated compound that was like a new world — green grass, water sprinklers and fabulous buildings.

“There were armed guards everywhere and it was strange at first. It was also quite unusual to need ransom insurance for your workers. It was intimidating as we did get quite a few looks from people, but really they were just interested in us.

“Once you gain their trust they were very honourable people.”

This honour, he said, was evident in clear payment schedules, which he said came as a “huge relief” after many years of experience in UK construction.

“Subcontractors face a constant battle to get paid in the UK where there is little trust and payment schedules are not followed,” he said.

“It is a major difficulty but so typical to be forced through hoops to get paid. When you come to the end of a job at home, it is routine that steps are taken to try to reduce final payments.

“We need legally binding structures in place that mean money is paid on certain dates, rather than fabricators bankrolling projects.

“Non payment of subcontractors is a major issue across the board and something desperately needs to be done about it. This affects a massive number of local workers and is without doubt part of the reason tradespeople are prepared to travel so far.”

Simon says they are not alone in their frustration with the UK market, with many companies failing to stick to payment schedules in a bid to save money.

“The only recourse for subcontractors is a judicial review, which costs so much money that it is  impossible and therefore poses little threat,” he said.

“That is why bigger companies like to use smaller firms; they are used as disposable items by the big players. Loyalty seems to pay off abroad and that has come as a pleasant relief.

“We also enjoy doing the jobs other companies might be afraid of. We like a challenge, we think about things logically, build them and don’t mind taking a risk.”

Looking ahead to their next contract, to fit out an Irish bar in New Jersey, Ciaran said the element of travel, although tiring, was also an appeal.

“It is a dream of ours to have this company,” he said.