In a conference largely given over to the need for a detailed discussion of the new NVQ Level 3 training scheme, the 1998 JIB conference in Wakefield did contain a discussion on the future of the JIB, with personal views expressed by George Ashcroft, then president of the ECA, and Paul Corby, national officer for contracting/construction with the AEEU.
Acknowledging that both parties to the JIB see the need for reform, an away day in March this year saw key players set the ball rolling on a far-reaching review of the JIB. The workshop not only tackled proposed changes in structure of the JIB but also methods of making the industrial relations agreement more wide reaching for a greater cross-section of specialist contractors.
Timely then that the ECA London Region should choose industrial relations as the linchpin of its recent one-day business conference. The chief protagonists from the debate up at Wakefield, George Ashcroft and Paul Corby, were present and correct to answer concerns from London Region delegates, with the discussion chaired by JIB chairman Sir Michael Latham. The three were joined by earlier speakers ECA president Alan Cussen and director David Pollock.
George Ashcroft and Paul Corby set the scene, largely recapping the views expressed at last October's JIB conference.
Ashcroft's position has been well-documented in these pages, namely that ECA members question the relevancy of the JIB rules as they apply today given the expectations of the current marketplace.
He called for flexibility within the JIB rules, a composite hourly rate for operatives based on working not travelling, electricians to be paid monthly, agreements on a working week across seven days and properly managed incentive schemes. Paul Corby would no doubt be in agreement when Ashcroft called for a higher profile for electrical craftspeople, backed up by a higher labour rate.
Paul Corby recognised the need to modernise the JIB. The JIB needed to stand for quality, he argued, and was well placed to meet the concerns of today's clients who want quality contractors who can finish a project on time and to budget.
Agency labour has always been a thorn in the side of the unions, and Corby again argued for agencies to be within the scope of the JIB.
Corby also saw a threat coming from operatives trained to NVQ Level 2 being used as cheap labour, and talked of aspirations toward the £10/h rate, already a reality on several major sites in the South-East, for craftspeople.
Delegates added their own concerns to the debate. While the need to drive wage rates upwards was recognised if young people are to enter the industry, employers need advance notice and called for certainty of labour rates, at least up to 2001. The HVCA and MSF provide just that, being part way through a three-year wage agreement.
Delegates argued that there should be a cpd requirement written in to the JIB agreement and, in the same way that the ECA regulates its members through assessment, should the JIB not do that with electricians?
Equal opportunities was another concern. Why is the industry so poor at attracting women and the ethnic minorities? JTL is focusing on this issue and is drawing up radical recruitment proposals.
At a London Region conference you would expect the subject of the London weighting to crop up. Delegates felt aggrieved by contractors from outside London pitching for work within the M25 but paying local rate and argued for better policing.
Plenty for those present to think about and plenty also for JIB negotiators to take to the table when they next meet.
A second away day is planned with a target delivery date for a reform package being the April 2000 National Conference. Let's hope there are no April Fools.
Source
Electrical and Mechanical Contractor
