Bobski The Builder on Britain's Channel 4

In the past five years, thousands of immigrants from Eastern Europe, particularly Poland, have arrived in Britain. Out of some 500,000 Polish immigrants, the majority have gone into the building trade. Are they taking jobs from British builders, or are they providing much-needed competition for firms who are quick to ask for money up front, but less so to get the job done on time? Bobski the Builder pits a team of British builders against their Polish counterparts, gives them similar jobs to complete, and then asks the customers if they are satisfied with the results.

The family of Terry, head of the British contingent, has been in the building trade for four generations, and he is confident people will trust his experience above all else. “At the end of the day it’s the quality and the finished product that tells whether the tradesman’s done the job.” Terry is also training up two newly qualified bricklayers, and feels that foreign workers are indeed taking away opportunities for young people to learn the skills needed. He quotes the Ghatoras £16,800 with one-third of the money up front for materials, with the job to be completed in 8-10 weeks.

Hard Work Is Everything

By contrast Jarek, who was a chocolate salesman back in Poland, has been a builder in Britain for five years. With a wife and young daughter to support, he lives from job to job, literally knocking on doors to get work. His philosophy is simple – people employ Polish builders to save money because they will work harder and get the job done faster. Jarek is also aware of the “reputation” Eastern Europeans have acquired in Britain, and constantly reassures would-be clients “We’ve not come for your benefits, we’ve not come for your NHS”. Jarek quotes the Smiths £12,800 for his work, no money up front, with the job to be done in five weeks.

Neither of the teams is perfect, but director Gavin Searle is determined to portray Terry and his men as the archetypal builders the British have come to know and hate. More and more money up front, endless delays, disappearing to work on other jobs; at one point the project is completely abandoned, until the disgruntled house owner complains about the half-finished job and wants action. The extension is finally finished after 182 days, but the local council is investigating the quality of the workmanship.

No Tea Breaks Here

Even though the Polish builders are not totally reliable (Mrs Smith has to point out they’ve made a mistake in measuring the foundation) it’s clear Searle has plenty of sympathy for Jarek. He and his crew work 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, and are paid in weekly instalments, which are not enough to cover materials and wages. Jarek spends £2000 of the profits on extra touches the owners are hardly likely to notice (perhaps not the best way to run a business) but runs into trouble at the last minute because the edge of the floor has been damaged by using the wrong insulation on the heating pipes. In the end the job is done in 42 days and on budget (mostly because the Smiths refuse to pay for any extras).

In the end both sides lose; the Smiths wish they had hired a British builder instead, while Mr Ghatora feels he has been let down by the “tea-drinking, crack-showing layabouts”. By using such a stereotypical British firm, Searle loses any sense of balance in the documentary, and the intrusive music only emphasizes the frivolous content.

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