German builders head for British sites as jobs dry up

BERLIN - German builders are heading to the United Kingdom in a reversal of the Auf Wiedersehen, Pet emigration of the British building trade to the Fatherland in the 1980s and 1990s.

A building boom in England is drawing the German craftsmen as their construction industry remains in the doldrums.

With projections of at least 30,000 homes to be built a year over the next 20 years in Britain, German builders - said to be among the world's best - are on the move to take advantage of "tremendous opportunities."

Bettina Hansmeier, a spokeswoman for a lobby representing craftsmen in the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's biggest, said: "In addition, our craftsmen will get work through building projects for the Olympic Games to be held in London in 2012."

Last September, the special interest group, the German Master Craftsmen, pulled together a band of 10 trade associations in order to ease entry into the British building market and promote German attributes, such as the high quality of workmanship.

"German craftsmen have a very, very sound level of training. We have the meistertitel, or master certificate, a designation, which doesn't even exist in England," said Hansmeier.

"Then there are German qualities, such as punctuality, reliability, and exactness, which are also vital, and the Brits know we can be counted on.

Many Britons did manual labour jobs on German building sites in the last two decades of the last century - hence the comedy Auf Wiedersehen, Pet, which followed the exploits of a group of mainly Geordie workers.

Quite a few more got work when the Berlin Wall fell and the soon-to-be-reunited country started building up the decrepit east from scratch.

But now, aside from World Cup tournament renovations, the German building trade is in crisis with many firms teetering on insolvency.

At the end of this month, the German Master Craftsmen will set up an exhibit at the trade fair Interbuild in Birmingham under the motto "Together, We're Stronger".

Preparations are already under way for the fair, according to Hansmeier, who meets prospective companies at least once a month. Presentations, flyers in English and German and an internet page will be set up with advice on what Germans can expect in a foreign market.

"We'll start with advice on how to attack the market and how to get a contract," said Hansmeier. "A joint exhibit should prove helpful. Then there are hurdles, such as customs, taxes and even cultural barriers."

Andreas Thiele, managing director of E & E Fertigteile and a German Master Craftsmen member, knows first-hand about the cultural differences, having once worked for an English company.

"There's a different kind of honour code there. The spoken word is taken much more seriously in England," said Thiele. "We Germans tend to be overly legal with everything spelled out in written contracts, after consulting three lawyers. Over there in the United Kingdom a handshake and word of honour will do."

Language, of course, can also be a barrier, so the craftsmen organisation offers an English course to German builders geared specifically towards the industry.

Such phrases as "I need more cement" and "Have you measured up that wall?" are on the agenda and not "Wer wird den Tee machen?" - who's going to make the tea?

- INDEPENDENT