Major deal on major projects

Workers get an extra £3 an hour within the M25 and a better site environment, while clients and contractors get integrated team working and the productivity benefits that should come with it.

Discussions will now start taking place with clients as to likely projects, depending on value, the workforce and timescale involved and the complexity of the scheme. Projects with an m&e value of £100 million will be potential candidates.

It remains to be seen whether this is the deal for Heathrow Terminal 5. With news of the construction unions' £55 000 a year deal for workers at T5 came speculation that m&e staff would have to get as much as £75 000 – enough to make youngsters think about swapping hard disk for hard hat when it comes to career choices.

Whatever the outcome at T5, the new deal ushers in the era of the grand-a-week spark and, unlike the T5 package, it's not just a one-off. Who knows – if the deal delivers on productivity promises, it could prove such a catalyst as to be adopted more widely than the Major tag would indicate.