Contest wrote: 6 -7k? Trainers might as well close shop. You will struggle to get that with a matric.
How many Jockeys have more than a Matric? How many Trainers etc - Reality is that grooms do more work than any other people in racing yet they get the lowest pay
a jockey needs to ride only 4 times a moth to earn almost the same as a groom does presently - is that fair?
Again I’m unsure why the authorities in racing are not involved. Someone eluded to the other topic of owners and intend to agree here. Just build the grooms wage into the bill. Let’s say cost to keep a horse is R6k (Zietsman Louis can probably tell me a closer figure), add R1000 for groom and balance is paid to trainer according to expertise. That way a groom knows if he looks after 4 horses in the stable (again the stables can advise how many horses per groom) then he knows what he is guaranteed to earn and it is regulated. Surely as individuals on a forum we cannot be the only people to see that the model as it currently is, is not sustainable.
I didn't choose the #puntlife, the #puntlife chose me!
Contest wrote: 6 -7k? Trainers might as well close shop. You will struggle to get that with a matric.
How many Jockeys have more than a Matric? How many Trainers etc - Reality is that grooms do more work than any other people in racing yet they get the lowest pay
a jockey needs to ride only 4 times a moth to earn almost the same as a groom does presently - is that fair?
Have to disagree here Mr H. Every company has workers and those workers work to build the pyramid and pay the people at the top. It shouldn’t be any different in racing.
My secretary works a lot harder than me, does that mean she should be paid more than me?
I didn't choose the #puntlife, the #puntlife chose me!
Firstly, lets get the basics right. Good, experienced grooms are earning way above the minimum wage. If not , they are selling themselves short as they are in big demand and we are all looking for them. Their experience and commitment has seen them rise to the top.
However, the youngsters of about 19, 20, 21 years old, who are vastly inexperienced, are on the minimum wage. Most of these youngsters cannot read or write, have had little or no schooling and only speak their home language. It is tough for them to get any work, anywhere in SA, where unemployment is rife, in a tough economy. These youngsters rather incite violence and threaten/ intimidate the rest during the strikes. These are the ones creating the biggest problems. For them, there is no such thing as working your way up. Not only demands, but threats have been made during the protests. They do not care about jobs, the Industry nor the horses. They have threatened to burn down stables and to slaughter horses. And Trainers are expected to reason with those mindsets? But, we must never let the truth spoil a good story...that would be politically incorrect of us.
Please show me any Industry in SA where this lot will find employment, together with accommodation , water and lights, cooking facilities and then overtimes and 1 percent of stakes.
Whilst the EFF are running riot in this Country and threatening Trainers, they have not really thought it all through properly. Tomorrow, some Trainers will be moving some of their youngsters back to Spelling farms. Others are busy looking at 1 groom for 5 horses and working 3 strings in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. After all , horses do not get groomed in the wild, so do not need the daily grooming, just a good shampoo or grooming for race Day. Only feet need to be cleaned daily and mucking out must be done in between exercise and feeding.
So now a Training centre might have 200 grooms for 600 horses, each earning R750 per week basic. The new wage that has now been agreed on is R1000 per week basic. So, we cut down on 80 grooms, making the total 120 grooms for the 600 horses @ R1000 per week. We were paying 200 grooms R150k. Now we are paying 120 grooms R120k.
Thanks to the exceptional wisdom of Julius, we can now buy a new double cab bakkie and change to the new routines and carry on no problem...with fewer worries....except for the 80 now unemployed grooms...let them go to Julius for a job. The economy is booming, so I am sure that he will find work for all of them very quickly, at R1000 per week. Maybe in his garden ? And maybe he can work up all of our Petrol attendants for us, too, so that we can upgrade to self help filling stations whilst 200 000 Petrol attendants also go and help in his Garden.
And so Africa's new Zimbabwe begins...with hyper inflation and starvation just around the corner.
Last edit: 6 years 11 months ago by louisg.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Craig Eudey, johnnycomelately, Craig Pienaar
Louis you know I love you buddy.. you are seriously world class.. however this time I maybe have a slightly different viewpoint to yours.. nursing sisters in hospitals after a certain amount of time and studying.. are able to become theatre sisters.. and I’m not talking about small secluded state hospitals.. I’m talking about large life saving private hospitals.. have in their care human patients lives.. in my opinion have no less or more responsibilities than an experienced groom looking after a multi million dollar race horse day and night.. now please compare the salaries plus benefits?? I’m not trying to equate a human life with a horses life however the responsibility is similar.. further to this SA is not Zimbabwe and we cannot always just say it’s because the country is going sour that we can explain away issues that are real to the people who are objecting.. it is what it is.. the grooms are not happy.. they found support from a opposition political party and it needs to be addressed.. it is not going to go away and I cannot for the life of me understand why it is just left up to the trainers and owners to handle.. have you seen the operators managers pay packages.. this is the time they need to stand up and earn those payments they get monthly.. I say as a trainer with the hours you put in and the pressures you absorb.. would it not be easier to sit behind a desk and just say.. it’s not our problem let the trainers and owners sort this out???
Louis, another problem we have here is that the grooms dont want to work by hours. We have inherited the old system of strings. They want to be paid the wage for 2 horses and any extra horse must be paid extra. Not we work 90 hours over a 2 week cycle. I sat in the 1st meeting re wage negotiations with AMCU last week and came up again. When doing a extra horse they must be paid extra. If I can fit 4/5 strings in a day does not cut with them. I told my grooms that I will close down if we get the same as Randjiesfontein and they try and stop the July. They know I am serious. Julius can pay them. I am not the only one who has told his grooms this.
The following user(s) said Thank You: Craig Pienaar
Johnno
Come and inspect my books please. More than half of my staff are way , way above the minimum wage. As for the rest, our "bottom" earners, they are also well ahead of the bottom wage. Also, please understand that I have put in a lot of work on behalf of grooms over the years.
The vast majority of grooms are quite happy with their jobs and their packages. The problem is the youngsters who come in and intimidate, dont actually want to work etc.
And if truth be told, it is easier to walk away from racing than to be threatened and pressurized into something that does not make sense. The bottom line is that Racing is a leisure industry. Hospitals and nursing is not. Owners are not forced to own horses and can walk away whenever they choose. And unlike the nurses who can actually speak and understand English and who have a skill and are employable elsewhere, these youngsters have very few other options of employment, if any. That is why I feel for them, as they get used by Politicians who do not care about them at all.
Yes, the takeout from the Operators as per Robin's article was a real eye opener. But the Govt are just as guilty here. The wages as prescribed by Govt are being paid by Trainers. So, why are workers attacking the Industry instead of Govt? Trainers have budgeted on what Govt has demanded from them.
This is going to hurt racing. The losers will be the workers and the Trainers. Govt and Phum will still have their packages and over paid jobs.
Just read the article on SP and if factual ( which i have no reason to dispute) is shocking!
A quick fix would be an immediate percentage cut across the board at the top to give an injection to where needed at the bottom, to help save the game, stakes, grooms etc
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