Chile Forum

oregon woodsmoke wrote:In a culture where theft doesn't seem to be frowned on, the contractor couldn't keep buying the same tools over and over to supply his workers. The worker can't afford to buy the tools on his salary. So, it's not surprising that the workmanship is substandard.

Bullshit. Pure socialist bullshit. Workmanship is workmanship. It's the care and responsibility that go into a project and the associated skills that have not significantly changed in 100 years. Chilean workers would do no better with nicer tools without a corresponding mindset change, and a lot less alcohol. Faster perhaps, but no better. In all the years I have been contracting for building in southern Patagonia, I have never heard a worker say that he could do better if he had nicer tools.

I currently live in a village that was started around 1913 and continued with incremental construction through the thirties. The buildings were constructed by the British and Commonwealth craftsmen, using techniques from the Falklands, Britain, NZ, and Oz. The tools those lads used were primitive by today's standards. The work they produced far outshines the shit work we get today from so-called craftsman, who have the audacity to think of themselves as maestros.

I recall a recent electrical sub who did some of the runs in my most recent project. The boss was a persona autorizada, an electrical engineer, the guy I would need to do the utilities plans so that the electrical company would approve service. I explained how to install the outlet boxes with spacing for the volcanita, the sheetrock. They understood because they did the first ones right, while I was watching. But when I came back to inspect the rest, the clowns had done things "their way" which meant defeating the spacing requirement and using screws so long that they penetrated the steel siding and roofing. It does not take the world's most expensive tools to have a craftsman use the proper, demonstrated process and proper length of fasteners. There is simply no excuse other than the prevailing culture.

Oh, and when this project was done, several of the circuits did not even function. The boss did not bother to check his minions' work. I should point out here that the circuit panel in Chile arranges the "automaticos" (breakers) not on a bus fashion as in the civilized and sensible world, but on a serial basis, like Xmas tree lights. So if the connector between breaker one and breaker two is hosed, circuits two through seven are also inoperative. Why is this? Because this is the by-regulation norm for wiring in Chile. It is a stupid engineering decision by the standards makers in Chile. So not only do we deal with substandard Chilean workmen, but their poor work is aggravated by poor Chilean engineering solutions and a lack of subcontractor management oversight.

Chilean "craftsmen" do by and large shit work that almost always has to be done over at least twice. And it's not because of their tools. It's because of their dismal sense of responsibility and care. So don't give me this socialist shit about people suddenly becoming responsible and productive and skilled and accurate craftsmen if only they were given the tools and instruction.

passport wrote:There could be some work available serving the coastal boatyards.

Chilean shipyards are not up to First World standards but within LetrinaAmerica they have a good rep. We even see Japanese fishing boats down here taking advantage of Chilean shipyards.

The embassy MIL people tell me that the Chilean navy yards are so well regarded that countries such as Ecuador send their submarines to the Chileans for major overhaul and upgrades. Politically this suits Chile and Ecuador very well. Ecuador and Peru, and Peru and Chile, are customarily at each others' throats. So Chile helps Ecuador under the premise that "my enemy's enemy is my friend."