Fighting for subbies rights
Anyone read George Orwell's Animal Farm as a kid?
I did, great book where the animals led by the pigs, ran the decrepit, mean and drunken Mr Jone's off his Manor Farm and renamed it Animal Farm.
They had a plan where, after the revolution, everyone would be treated equally. The pigs were the most intelligent so they took over and for a time it worked but a power struggle ensued.
The good pig Snowball and the bad pig Napoleon were equal but then at a meeting, Napoleon used his freshly trained puppies which were now ferocious attack dogs, to chase Snowball off the farm and cower the other animals into submission.
Poor management decisions were made when dealing with neighbouring farms and financial misery followed for all the animals.
Napoleon's deputy Boxer disappeared. Napoleon spread a rumour that Boxer died peacefully in hospital where his last words were in support of the revolution. In fact Napoleon sold Boxer the cart horse to a glue factory so that he could buy Whiskey.
Does this story resonate with anyone reading?
An example of Animal Farm:
Selling Boxer to the glue factory reminds me of a builder who held a site meeting a week before he liquidated, he had his henchmen by his side (ferocious attack dogs).
At the meeting he got on his megaphone and yelled and railed against anyone who was taking outside advice. He raged about the hide of people talking about his company and that anyone who didn't trust him should leave now!
This was despite the fact that he had selectively paid only a few subbies and owed upwards of 3 million dollars dating back 4 and 5 months.
His subbies were predominately working for free for months on end on a unit development he owned a big chunk of for.
A week after liquidating, he was seen at the cricket enjoying a day out (until a supplier spotted him). Life goes on as normal for him but not for the subbies he ripped off.
Another example of Animal Farm;
A builder liquidated late last year. He owed a huge debt of over 25 million. A few weeks before the event, he held a similar site meeting with his attack dogs by his side. He made promises he knew he couldn't keep. He cajoled people to whom he owed a fortune to the come back to site, despite knowing full well he was not going to pay them. He then liquidated a short time later.
A month later he was seen in New Zealand at a football tournament called the Auckland Nines. He jetted off in disguise for his International holiday but an alert subbie he ripped off, spotted him. Life goes on for him as normal but not for the subbies he ripped off.
Another example of Animal Farm:
A permanently excluded person's son's building company Liquidated a few weeks ago leaving over 5 million owed to subbies and suppliers but that's ok. Daddy (permanently excluded person) was in the media and said he would make good on the company debt.
Why he would bother is anyone's guess because it wasn't his company that liquidated. It was his son's company which was building this former bankrupt, permanently excluded persons development complex.
It's time to take control of Animal Farm
This is how we do it. We provide builders with huge amounts of working capital without so much as a directors guarantee, let alone security or a mortgage over their property.
Who among you will give the document below to a builder and ask them to tick the boxes and sign it before you agree to work for them?
I'll start the process and it's simple. If the builder/developer is not prepared to sign the document below, I don't want to work for them.
Subbies we have to smarten up and stop letting rogue builders and developers who have had their snouts in the trough for far too long, wipe their boots on us.
They are not all bad but the bad ones are life changing.