Is it reasonable to let a tradesman go because I think he's drinking at work?

Went through nearly the same thing on my extension a few years back. Labourer who was clearly a few sheets to the wind by smoko, dropping things, measuring twice and cutting wrong both times. The leading hand was solid and kept covering for him because they were cousins. What worked for me was raising it once, directly, and keeping it about the site rather than the bloke. Something like 'your guy nearly went backwards off the ladder yesterday, I can't have that on my place.' No accusation, no drama, just a safety fact he couldn't argue with. Two weeks left actually works in your favour. A tradie near the finish line wants the final invoice and your referral far more than he wants to win an argument. Most won't walk off a paid job over one calm conversation. Send it by text as well as saying it face to face, so there's a record of when you flagged it. That matters if anything goes wrong later, and it also quietly tells him you're not mucking around.

If he brushes it off again after that, then you escalate. Tell him the labourer doesn't come back, or you're off site on the days he does. Pay for work completed to that point and find someone else for the tail end. An unfinished kitchen is annoying but fixable. A fall from a ladder onto your benches, or worse near your kid, is not. On the toddler thing, I'd keep the little one away til this is sorted regardless of how the labourer situation plays out. Ladders, offcuts, nail guns and a bloke who forgets he's already cut an opening is not a mix you want anywhere near a two year old, even for a quick visit. One more thougth. I've seen a bloke in this exact position get a genuine shot at rehab rather than the sack, and he came out the other side a different worker entirely. Not everyone does, and it's not your job to fund it, but you could float it with the chippy as an alternative to just turfing his brother in law. Might be the excuse he needs to actually act.

Lurker here, first time posting so hope this is the right thread. We had a painter who'd show up hungover most Mondays, and unlike your labourer he was the boss, so there was no one to even have the awkward chat with. We just stopped mid job and paid him for the days done. Cost us a bit to find someone else to finish but honestly the sleep was worth it. What I keep coming back to is that last bit from the OP about paying for rehab. Did it acutally stick long term? My cousin tried the same thing with his apprentice and the bloke relapsed within a few months, so I never know if it's money well spent or just delaying the inevitable.

Chiming in on the family angle, because I ran a six man crew for years and the one bloke I kept covering for was my wife's cousin. Honestly, when a client finally said something blunt but fair, it was a relief. I already knew, I just couldn't be the one to say it to my own household. So if you raise it calmly, don't assume the chippy will pack up in a huff. There's a decent chance he's been waiting for someone outside the family to say it out loud.

Started on sites in the late 70s where a carton in the ute at smoko was just normal, so I've watched this shift play out over forty years. Here's what I'd add. That chippy doing top notch work while carrying his missus's brother is a rare animal. Most blokes in his spot let the whole job slide, not just the labourer. If you have the calm chat and he handles it like a professional, you've found yourself a keeper for the bathroom and the deck down the track. Blokes who can seprate family loyalty from the job don't grow on trees, and these days half the young ones can't frame a square hip roof without a laser telling them how.

That's a ripper outcome, good on you for actually backing them instead of just canning the job. I did something smaller along those lines, paid for a drug test program and a few weeks off site for a concreter who wanted to get straight, and he rang me two years later asking if he coud quote my shed. His work since has been the best I've seen, and he shows up at 6am keen. Only thing I'd say is keep them on the books for the next job if you can. Blokes who know you didn't dump them at thier lowest tend to look after your place like it's their own.