JIB looks to focus on m&e industrial relations

The Joint Industry Board (JIB) is to restructure to allow it to focus on its core industrial relations function as a precursor to possible future talks between employers and Unite on a unified mechanical and electrical working rule agreement.

From 1 January 2008, the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA) will undertake the JIB’s administrative activities under a service level agreement.

Chief executive of the JIB, Ron Allender said: “Whilst the JIB has had enormous influence as an independent broker of industrial relations solutions the need to change has long been on the agenda. We believe that the time is now right to refocus the existing structure of the JIB to reflect the current environment for industrial relations and to ensure its relevance to a wider arena of building services engineering companies and operatives in the future.”

The increasing demand on contractors for joined up mechanical and electrical solutions is a major driver in the efforts to realign the JIB concept.

JIB Industrial Relations will focus on core functions such as:

• National and regional Joint Industry Boards

• The National Appeals Committee

• Grading, determination of JIB grades and grading rules

• Conciliation

• Dispute procedure

• Employee Relations Committee

• ECS Steering Committee

The ECA, on behalf of the JIB, will focus on the delivery of administration services, including:

• IT

• Grading and registration

• AM2 and ECS assessment

• Apprentice registration.

Alex Meikle, head of employee relations at the ECA said: “We see the repositioning of the JIB as a very positive move for the industry. Firms are increasingly finding themselves employing a single workforce under different collective agreements. An updated industrial relations infrastructure, to service a broader range of building services engineering disciplines, is an essential element of our future plans.”

Tom Hardacre, national officer at Unite concluded: “We welcome the move to reposition the JIB for the future while recognising its huge contribution to the electrical contracting industry in the past.

“We are pleased that the employers recognise that the drivers for change, affecting industrial relations, must be addressed in a positive way. We believe the restructuring and refocusing on core JIB values and functions will help with this.”