The future of the JIB

I had intended to write about the ECA's excellent conference in Portugal. But since there has been a sharp exchange between the editorial in the May edition of EMC ('Groundhog Day at the JIB', p5) and Alex Meikle's letter in this issue ('JIB: the full story', p5) about the Joint Industry Board conference in March, I must concentrate on how the JIB is taking things forward.

In their opening speeches at the JIB conference, employers' leader George Ashcroft, Amicus national official for construction Paul Corby, ECA director David Pollock and Amicus assistant general secretary Danny Carrigan all drove home the message of how vital the JIB remains to the electrical contracting sector.

Ashcroft listed 15 substantial changes, including a three-year wage agreement; ECS/CSCS affiliation; 37 000 health and safety tests; the new ECS cards for fire and security, qualified supervisors and datacomms; the RJIBs being restructured; and the new Major Projects Agreement.

Corby stressed that ECA member firms rely on the JIB for a framework for employment and provision of wages, 30 days' holiday, sick pay, group life insurance, accidental death, disability benefit, health and safety standards, grievance and disciplinary procedures (with most grievances settled by effective conciliation), travel and lodging arrangements and many other vital features.

Pollock and Carrigan both emphasised how important the JIB is, and that it has the strong support of the ECA and Amicus. Pollock stressed that the JIB is the industrial relations model of choice and its record needs to be promoted more widely.

Conference debate
The four workshops, jointly led by ECA and Amicus facilitators, were attended by all conference delegates in rotation.

One group, led by Richard Dix and Brian Davies, was asked to consider the development of the grading structure for electricians to reflect the skills and performance required by an expanding industry. The conference report lists 22 substantial points made by delegates about grading definitions, and a further six about the Part P regulations and the domestic installer.

The JIB will now examine seven general headings, including: the need for a career structure from apprentice to NVQ 4 manager; the possible need for a new grade reflecting supervisory elements including testing and inspection skills; and how to ensure that Part P does not confer electrician status on unqualified people.

There is a real will to move forward and no feeling that the JIB has had its day. Quite the contrary – there was very strong support for its next 38 years

Eric Cline and Roger James facilitated the group looking at apprentice and adult training, and how these could match the industry's skill requirements. A formidable list of 27 points emerged, grouped into 11 issues for further study.

There was general satisfaction with the existing training arrangements, but a feeling that there should be easier access to funding, obligatory provision for training in government contracts and codes of practice. It was also felt there is a real need to address the major problem of dropout by apprentices.

Commercial and contractual practices and how they affect the JIB agreement in a changing working environment were discussed under the leadership of Bill Wright and Jim Simms. There was a vigorous debate about the need for more partnering and best practice by clients and concern that there is still Dutch auctioning and lowest price approaches to procurement.

Among the nine topics for further JIB study and action were: promoting the agreement more forcefully; policing Rule 17 more vigorously; better training for site and middle-management; and rewriting the JIB handbook in a more user-friendly style.

Alan Cussen and Danny Carrigan led the group that looked at how the JIB could develop in response to current influences and pressures. The general consensus was that the JIB, as an institution and collective agreement, is greatly valued by its members. But, as with any 38-year-old organisation, it needs modifications and improvements.

One big issue was the spread of labour agencies, composite companies and self-employed operatives. A wide variety of views were expressed about how these groups of operatives could be more effectively integrated into the industry. There was strong support for better literature and marketing, and the possible widening of JIB services by re-examining earlier functions that it used to deliver, such as an employment pool or productivity services.

This was an excellent conference, with well focused debate. It is now for the parties to the JIB to look at the possible action points to try to reach consensus. Not all ideas can be met because some were in direct opposition to others.