ECA seeks dialogue with agencies

The Electrical Contractors’ Association has put forward proposals that would see the Association, trades union Amicus and labour agencies come together in a formalised discussion group to be called the Employment Business Forum.

The new Forum would operate under the banner of the Joint Industry Board, where the ECA and Amicus set standards for skill levels and wage rates.

A recent meeting of the JIB national board did not back the resolution, however. Amicus has called for further clarification on several points in the ECA’s proposal and meetings will take place in the coming weeks.

Alex Meikle, head of employee relations at the ECA, said: “With 50% of the employment market coming from agencies, we can no longer ignore this issue. The electrical sector is trying to control its own destiny. Through the Forum we can influence agency labour business issues.”

The ECA hopes that by welcoming labour agencies into the fold, agencies will have to ensure that operatives have the same skills as JIB electricians and are paid JIB wage rates.

While an ECA committee agreed to take the proposal forward, the Forum has not met with unanimous approval. “ECA London Region is against the move,” said John Burrows, a representative for London Region who is employed by T Clarke. London Region does not wish to see agencies legitimised to such an extent that they could become competitors pricing for work rather than mere suppliers of top-up labour. “We support the initiative to create a controlled labour force, but we believe that the ECA should be focusing on direct employment,” said Burrows. “There is a danger of losing our skills if we do not train in sufficient numbers.”

Amicus too has doubts. A meeting of shop stewards threw out the proposals which left Amicus officials in a difficult position when it came to the table at the JIB national board.

“We will see how the Forum proposal develops over the next few months,” said Meikle. “Amicus welcomed the initiative but it is part of a profound debate and there are a lot of issues to be brought out.”