If horse racing is struggling to employ staff. . . .
Horse racing is in a flap again with a staff shortage when top trainers like Nicky Henderson say it’s a problem then you take note. He quoted mistakes happen and the job is not done properly and rightly so. Owners pay good money so you would want the best.
I never hear about this problem in greyhound racing. Or is it another problem just ignored? Horse trainers pay minimum wage and staff can now only work a forty hour week.
If the same rule applies to greyhound trainers they would all be skint. How many, for instance, pay the minimum wage of £8 something an hour? How many pay into a pension scheme, which by law should be offered to all employees? How many pay tax or declare it?
Let’s take a few examples. There are nearly a thousand greyhound trainers of varying status across the country according to the GBGB list. I don’t know how many have a licence just for 2 dogs, 12 dogs, or over 12 dogs.
So trainer one with is 2 dogs does not need to employ anyone; it’s his hobby trainer. Two, on the other hand, may have up to 12 dogs and needs help ie when he goes racing he might go on holiday. I doubt that though.
Anyway working 365 days a year, he needs help. Maybe his partner helps. So for his 12 dogs, at say £5 a day, that is £420 per week. Not a lot is it? With all the outgoings for feed diesel for the van racing 2 3 may be 4 night a week?
He would not be on the minimum wage. But ‘hold on’ you say, ‘he does it for the love of the dogs’. Then we all know that’s not true. Not unless like some trainers they subsidise it with another income like Dave Firmager who owns a big window company.
Charlie Lister has his own timber yard, Nick Savva was in the rag trade. Pete Harnden appears to subsidise his own kennels.
Going back to Dave Firmager. When he states he does not like the direction the sport is going and cannot pay the full amount of money to his kennel staff, as what he pays his basic factory workers, then you know the sport as a problem.
Anyway on to trainer three. He may have anything from 20 dogs up to 200 dogs. Now how may staff does he or she employ? The answer is probably ‘not enough’ . Because they can’t afford minimum wage pension fund, holiday pay, overtime, if over 40 hours a week. . . .
So therefore they are short staffed. But this is not a problem because I never hear greyhound trainers say we have a staff shortage nationwide.
Or is the owner getting short changed for pay for a service their dogs are not getting?
There are many questions that don’t get answered. How much do staff get? Are they in a pension scheme? Do they work over forty hours a week? Are they on over time?
Racehorse trainers are really worried about this. What about greyhound trainers? Or do they have a different set of rules? Cash in hand maybe? Who knows?
The trainers themselves have their self employed tax forms to be filled in, VAT returns etc. All outgoings. If they sat down and worked it out, the majority of then struggle.
So what chance have the staff? No wonder there are no more younger people. It’s all about economics. Can you live on ‘I work for the love of the dog’?’ The answer is ’no’
It doesn’t pay your bills or put food in your mouth. Another white elephant is the apprentice scheme run by the GBGB. How many people attend this or can’t the trainers let staff have time off?
Yes I see some of the top trainers send staff, eg Mark Wallis who I know quite well. But surely they could learn more watching and learning from top trainers?
Okay, Mark had Linda Jones. Paul Young had Kenny Linzell. Matt Dartnall had Terry, his dad, guiding him. They never went on apprenticeships they learned on the job.
Perhaps the modern trainer hasn’t got the time or the staff? The majority of you at the Greyhound Star have worked in racing kennels over the years and you can’t tell me they are better run than say 20 years ago.
I’ve worked in the sport for many years. But not for the last five or six, because like many others in the sport, there’s no direction, no chance of just making a living.
It is hard enough with track closures etc so when big brother, ie horse trainers, have a problem, what chance as little brother got? And the answer is let’s just sweep it under the carpet again.
Gary Slater
Bookies – Stop discriminating against the shop punter
Good news about the RPGTV package, but still despair for punters who want to take early-morning prices on Greyhounds from Ladbrokes/Coral & Betfred in Betting Shops.
These 3 bookies only allow the early morning prices to On-Line Customers and Betting Shop punters, paying cash, are discriminated against.
It’s very annoying for people, like myself, who do not want on-line betting accounts at any cost Paying in hard cash means that you can control your betting spending on greyhounds to sensible levels.
So much for Fred Done ramming down peoples throats – “Bet Responsibly”. These 3 bookmakers should be ashamed of themselves . Thank god we still have Paddy Power & Wm. Hill who do not discriminate.
If you have Mr. Moretti’s e-mail address – perhaps you can pass this e-mail on to him?
Brian Kempton
