Message from the Chairman
Jan 23, 2012
On 1st January 2012 I was honoured to take over as Chairman of the Joint Industry Board from Sir Michael Latham. Sir Michael served as the JIB Chairman with immense distinction for 13 years. He is a true gentleman and I wish him a long and happy retirement. He will be a hard act to follow.
I have spent the last seven years working as a consultant to clients and major businesses across a range of sectors and I was previously employed as a Trade Union Officer, when I served as a member of the JIB National Board. I hope that my experience will enable me to understand the perspectives of both the ECA and Unite the Union and to work effectively as the independent Chairman of the JIB.
I firmly believe that the biggest challenge currently facing the JIB is to provide leadership by managing change effectively in terms of the technological and economic changes which are affecting our industry.
Technology developments include more packaging of electrical and mechanical work into single contracts, more offsite fabrication and manufacturing facilities, the continued use of computing power across a wide range of applications and the growth of renewable power generation technologies such as solar photo-voltaic panels. Electric cars are no longer confined to prototypes and the need to drive down our carbon footprint is key to the new-build nuclear programme which is now under way.
The state of the economy is now at the front of all of our minds, more than ever before. The uncertainty and lack of confidence generated by bad news on the economic front has seriously affected our industry. Many clients are reluctant to invest, thin margins are being squeezed even further and industry productivity and working practices are under very close scrutiny. Opportunities for employment are few and far between because many contractors are reluctant to employ new people or commit to an apprenticeship at the very time when we need to employ many more young people as apprentices to meet our skill needs in the future. Individuals are concerned that their future involvement in the industry is now more likely to be through a labour agency than a JIB member company.
The way we adapt to change is crucial. One way is to abandon our principles and let external forces drive us whichever way they please. You can be assured that I am not prepared to allow the JIB to abandon its principles. What we must do is use them to address the challenges we face.
So what principles are fundamental to the JIB? In my opinion they may be summarised as:
- Joint decision making by the representatives of the parties, as we call the Electrical Contractors’ Association and Unite the Union
- The willingness by both parties to listen to each other and to engage in effective consultation on all matters
- Fairness in everything we do within an effective, qualitative and productive framework of socially just working arrangements
- The application of an innovative and relevant training programme creating career mobility and the maximum opportunity for life for the potential UK working population
- A market sustainable ‘best in class’ terms and conditions of employment package
- An acceptance that the strategic long term interests of our industry must always be the guiding principle in our decision making
- An inclusive approach, embracing everyone who is willing to accept the JIB’s principles.
The first priority of the JIB is to work with the parties to address the impact of technological and economic change, using the framework of the JIB’s principles, on behalf of our member companies and our operative members.
I am working closely with Steve Brawley, JIB Chief Executive and his professional team to respond to this challenge and I look forward immensely to playing my part in taking the JIB forward.
Paul Corby
Chairman, Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry
