Whats the views on rate reductions?

[TestMangler]

Very Perceptive, it is, and they won't !

After all my greasing up to the agent too

Anything to do with HBOS/LLoyds by any chance ?

[Chaffinch]

Anything to do with HBOS/LLoyds by any chance ?

I couldn't possibly say ......

[Mich the Tester]

I couldn't possibly say ......

We'll take that as a yes. It happened to me at a large Dutch bank with a three letter name, who only survived by bending the finance minister over a barrel and telling him 'give us 20 billion euros or we'll switch off the cash machines and the clearing systems tonight'. I don't really know what makes them think they're better than benefit scroungers or chavs doing their freelance socialism at JDSports.

[TestMangler]

I couldn't possibly say ......

Let me guess the scenario........there is a change of agency as they are moving from a PSL so an SSA and even the big agencies like Hays are getting marginalised as they move everyone over to Ajilon. The smaller agencies are all fighting each other to get some secondary supplier stuff out of it so won't rock the boat. Ajilon have just picked up a low margin agreement but with 100's of contractors involved so won't endanger their position. They are also using the switch from other agencies to them to implement a rate cut.

Am I close ?

[Chaffinch]

Let me guess the scenario........there is a change of agency as they are moving from a PSL so an SSA and even the big agencies like Hays are getting marginalised as they move everyone over to Ajilon. The smaller agencies are all fighting each other to get some secondary supplier stuff out of it so won't rock the boat. Ajilon have just picked up a low margin agreement but with 100's of contractors involved so won't endanger their position. They are also using the switch from other agencies to them to implement a rate cut.

Am I close ?

Not in this case - the Client has just decided, as a cost cutting exercise, to slash contractor rates by 10% across the board !

[Mich the Tester]

Not in this case - the Client has just decided, as a cost cutting exercise, to slash contractor rates by 10% across the board !

If you can take the hit then tell them to **** off. Otherwise, smile, live with it for now, make yourself as 'unmissable' as possible, look for something else and then tell them you're leaving at a time that's painfully inconvenient for them.

[Chaffinch]

If you can take the hit then tell them to **** off. Otherwise, smile, live with it for now, make yourself as 'unmissable' as possible, look for something else and then tell them you're leaving at a time that's painfully inconvenient for them.

Good advice, cheers

[alreadypacked]

Not in this case - the Client has just decided, as a cost cutting exercise, to slash contractor rates by 10% across the board !

I usually take this as a sign of more pain to come, i.e. reduced head count etc.

The have looked at their spend against budget or they missed something from the budget, whatever the reason they are making cuts after the first quarter of the year, the next three quarters may not be much fun.

Start looking when things pick up in Sept. would be my advise.

[Mich the Tester]

Good advice, cheers

Afraid I can't offer anything better than that, except it's perhaps not really smart to do what I did when I left, a rare lapse of my temper when I told clientco I was already subsidising them with my taxes and didn't want my profitable business subsidising their 'loss making venture' as well. I can be pretty sure I won't be hired there again, but it's not as if I want to be.

[DimPrawn]

Adjusted for inflation it's more like a 20% cut in real terms.

And usually, if contractors on the whole accept one cut, another usually comes along in a few months time.

Not good.