Danny Walker
🖕Immigrants, you *****, you’ve really done it now!!! ㅤ My name's Danny. I'm 35. I'm from the UK. ㅤ I'm a regular tradesman, a brickie. Been doing it for about 9 years, mostly self-employed through contractors. ㅤ Work used to be fine. ㅤ Five, sometimes six days a week. ㅤ Plus Saturdays and overtime. ㅤ In a good month I'd bring home around £3,200–3,600 clear. ㅤ Not rich, but it was enough for us. ㅤ Rent paid. ㅤ Car paid. ㅤ Bills covered. ㅤ We could even put a bit aside. ㅤ And then things started to change. ㅤ First I noticed more and more recently arrived workers on sites. ㅤ On its own, I didn't care where anyone came from. ㅤ The problem started when some contractors figured out they could save money on vulnerable workers. ㅤ At least that's how it looked from where I was standing. ㅤ Some got put on as self-employed even though they were basically working as regular employees. ㅤ Others agreed to lower rates because they needed any work they could get. ㅤ About others there was talk on site that they were getting paid less than they were owed. ㅤ I never saw their contracts and didn't know the exact numbers. ㅤ But I saw something else. ㅤ The new gangs were quoting prices we simply couldn't compete with. ㅤ Our contractor started losing job after job to them. ㅤ For him it all came down to the numbers. ㅤ If another gang promises to do the same job cheaper — the contract goes to them. ㅤ And for me that meant one thing: ㅤ fewer shifts. ㅤ First the Saturdays disappeared. ㅤ Then instead of five or six days they started giving me four. ㅤ Then three. ㅤ Sometimes two. ㅤ On Monday you get a text: ㅤ — "Don't come in tomorrow." ㅤ On Wednesday: ㅤ — "No work for you till the end of the week." ㅤ And you just sit at home. ㅤ Waiting for the call. ㅤ Watching another gang roll onto the site where you were working just a little while ago. ㅤ Back then I was angry at the immigrants specifically. ㅤ In my head it looked simple: ㅤ "They're willing to work cheaper, so now I've got no work." ㅤ But th
