"We have every respect for the small and medium sized electrical contracting firms," says Corby. "A lot of the issues that are being discussed at the moment – including agency labour – are major contractor issues; I think we should be quite clear about that. We firmly believe that electricians in this country deserve a better deal but we are also aware that we can't just sit there like Oliver Twist and say we want more." Yet he also warns that the AEEU is ready to get tough, its regional officers recently tasked with auditing working practices on sites, starting around London and the south east.
"You have very prestigious projects which are being run on the basis of the JIB rules, the JIB benefits and second tier bargaining," says Corby, "and others are coming along and just bidding it on the lowest price they can get from subcontractors and labour agencies who are utterly in breach of the rules. We can't let that go any longer.
"The audit will make sure that either they're playing by the rules or they have a semblance of order, or we're just going to apply their own logic back to them, using market forces. So it's going to be a bit of a volatile time – for some it could be a very hot summer." Indeed, the JIB agreement itself is up for a wide ranging review, Corby emphasising that the union remains "one hundred per cent" behind its principles. "We're willing to modernise it and streamline it, but we want to do that in a progressive way," insists Corby. "We're willing to move towards the employers but we're saying there has to be something in return.
"There is certainly a desire from clients to see joint m&e agreements. Whether that involves other employer groups like the HVCA and the plumbers, we're willing to countenance that and begin talks. We believe the JIB agreement should have an appendix attached which could be applied to certain types of problem. Our position is to have a menu of options for big projects like Terminal Five or Bluewater that are crying out for an all-embracing agreement." The convergence of m&e trades has also seen employers push for multi-skilling. Corby is cautious of its implications. "We want to support multi-skilling but the employers have never spelt out what they mean. We need to see the quality that comes from the JIB agreement and the approved electrician maintained, not dumbed down.
"If we have an installer grade we want to see it carried forward thoughtfully, not as a short term measure to reduce wage costs.
We’re just going to apply their own logic back to them. So it’s going to be a bit of a volatile time – for some it could be a very hot summer.
"If we were to start now with a blank piece of paper I very much doubt we would end up with 70% approved electricians. The reality is that the majority are, and they are doing the basic work. So they are turning round and saying: 'hang on, are you serious that you're going to hand that work over to cheaper labour?' And the employers aren't saying to us that they've got the replacement work for those approved electricians. We need some safeguards." Corby warns: "The danger to electrical contractors, and they seem to have their blinkers on, is what's to stop the civil contractor setting up their own specialist electrical division to do all the conduit running and so on, just getting the electrical firm to do the commissioning, testing and more technical work? That's what I mean by dumbing down, but I can't get that through to the ECA." The whole issue of wage rates is also back on the agenda, with the JIB preparing to address two contentious issues, simplification of rates and regional variations.
"There is no reason why our members shouldn't aspire to the £10 rate," reflects Corby. "We've got to look at everything. Are there things that could be consolidated while bringing the rate up? Could we adjust the overtime, increasing the normal rate but bringing down the rate for overtime in compensation? Obviously the travel is a big issue. Of course this is where the union gets caught a little bit in between, because the members want the £10 rate but they want to keep all the other trimmings as well. At the present time we see the most important thing as getting the money into the rate." "We're willing to look at the issue of regional payments, though that doesn't mean to say we're prepared to accept £4 an hour in Cornwall, £12 an hour in London. Obviously we're mainly looking at the south east, but when it comes to major projects in Scotland, the North or the Midlands, we want to see the same type of opportunity for second tier bargaining and a realistic rate. A major project is a major project, wherever it is." However, with disputes on the rise, some contractors are warning that a gun to the head mentality is prevailing. Corby counters: "We live in an industry where people are hired, fired, dispensed with, so there is a coherence and a logic behind them saying: 'right we've got a big project here, we want to earn as much as we can'.
"Look what happened when the balance was the other way just a few years ago. On the British Library the biggest union role was dealing with insolvencies of subcontractors and agencies, things that affected member's wages. That's why this difficulty has arisen." With that Corby gets ready to meet with another major contractor "we're not very happy with", tomorrow it's a meeting with the government before he returns to his Wakefield base. Not bad for a "pretty typical week" which has already seen him at locations from Glasgow to London.
Given his integral role in reflecting the union's views in the far-reaching JIB reforms, it's not looking like a quiet summer – for him or contractors which fall foul of the JIB rules.
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
