electricians strike

Electricians stage second strike Action is focused on high-profile projects like the Dome Electricians across the country are staging a second day of action over pay. The action has been led by workers on prestigious projects such as the Millennium Dome, the Royal Opera House and the Jubilee Line extension (JLE), and similar construction sites across the UK. The BBC's Stephen Evans: "The strikes signal a militant mood" The action comes just a week after thousands of electricians downed tools in their first 24-hour stoppage last Tuesday. The strikers are angry at their own union, the Amalgamated Engineering and Electrical Union, which is currently negotiating the annual national pay award for its 40,000 members. Strikers say the union has made too many concessions during negotiations. Workers want to "use their muscle" while they have it They are also furious at union statements that electricians on the JLE, the underground line which links central London to the Dome, are earning £1,800 a week. One strike leader said most electricians earned about £1,000 less than that, and the union was trying to discredit the activists by claiming such a figure. On Wednesday, the strikers also angrily denied claims that there have been further incidents of sabotage on the JLE. Police were called to the project last year to investigate incidents, including the cutting of wires. The Jubilee Line Extension is already behind schedule However, both the strikers and JLE managers said on Wednesday that they had no knowledge of any further incidents. The AEEG's general secretary, Sir Ken Jackson, criticised the strike action as "unnecessary". He said discussions with employers had not been finalised, and that he believed an "excellent agreement" on pay would soon be reached. Strike organiser Tony Miller told the BBC the strikers had been reluctant to take action, but felt that they had to be heard. "Let's face it, while we've got a bit of muscle we've got to use it," he said.

Lanlords Glasgow

Electricians in Glasgow scotland in 2023

How confident are you that the year ahead will be an encouraging one for the industry? I expect the year ahead to be tougher still for the industry with the lack of available finance and uncertainty over the economy preventing projects from proceeding. Although housing has shown signs of recovery it is hard to see how this can be maintained without a significant increase in the number of first time buyers entering the market which just doesn’t seem possible given the reluctance of lenders to advance more than 75% of house prices. The likely reduction in public spending will further add to our woes and to compound matters, the effects of some of the recent sub-economic tendering will come home to roost resulting in widespread casualties throughout the industry.

EICR Westend Glasgow

There are some rays of light in the form of enlightened clients and main contractors who are engaging in more collaborative working practices and partnering with sub contractors to add real value through eliminating wasteful tendering. This bodes well for the future for those Electricians electrical companies that have a clear value proposition and an innovative culture. How will the change of government affect the industry? In the short term at least I believe the change of government is likely to be bad news for electricians in construction as the new government wrestles with the record £10bn budget deficit. In fairness to the last government they did help the industry by pushing through spending on public projects like Building Schools for the Future and if, as seems possible, some of these projects are shelved there will be widespread repercussions and job losses. 

PAT Testing Glasgow

Over half of our present workload is in public sector projects when only two or three years ago our workload was at least 80% private and I believe this is fairly consistent across the sector. What changes would you like to have seen proposed on the main parties’ manifestos? In general the focus should be on stimulating enterprise and industry and I would have liked to have seen a strong commitment to maintaining spending on public projects, more action to make finance available for business to generate economic growth, and clear plans to address skills shortages through better vocational training and apprenticeships. Simplification of the housing planning system is urgently required to help address the housing shortage which is approaching a million homes. There are undoubtedly big savings that could be made in the public sector, which has largely been shielded from the effects of the recession to date, and the government should not shy away from addressing over-capacity across the board in this area. How realistic is the Liberal Democrats’ aim of a ‘zero carbon’ UK by 2050? This is largely dependent on how you define zero carbon but in general with the right political will it is eminently doable, certainly when compared to President Obama’s goal of landing on Mars by the end of the 2030s.

Landlord certificates Glasgow

 Looking at construction in particular, the technology to achieve the current targets of carbon neutral buildings from 2019 is available and proven however in the present circumstances the financial barriers may result in targets not being met in the early years. Building to the standards required to achieve zero carbon buildings carries a heavy cost premium and buyers are not prepared or indeed able to pay this premium. We have anecdotal evidence of a major housebuilder bidding just one pound for a 90 hectare 900-home site due to the additional cost involved in building to Level 5 of the Code for Sustainable Homes, specified by the Local Authority. For existing buildings the government will have to heavily incentivise the upgrading of existing housing stock to encourage homeowners to reduce their energy consumption. Do you see the industry at the moment as an attractive one to join for school and college leavers? I still believe this is a very attractive industry because there is plenty of variety, the opportunity to learn a skill and the feel-good factor that comes from doing real work that makes a difference to peoples’ lives.

Westend Glasgow Electricians

 I don’t believe you ever lose the satisfaction of walking off a job for the last time knowing that you helped to create something lasting. One of the best things about the construction industry for me is that no matter how challenging the current project is you know it will end and you can move on to the next one. How much of a ‘green’ outlook do new, young apprentice Electricians in Glasgow need to have on entering the industry? A green outlook and an interest in the green agenda would be an advantage for any apprentice electricians in glasgow in the current climate where energy efficiency and carbon reduction are so high profile. There is a steep learning curve ahead for the mechanical and electrical building services and electrical trades in getting to grips with understanding, designing, constructing, commissioning and maintaining the new wave of green technologies like heat pumps, solar thermal, photo voltaic etc in a relatively short time frame to achieve the carbon reduction targets. How do you view the current state of industry apprenticeship schemes? In my opinion there should be more encouragement for employers to take on apprentice electricians combined with better communication to young people through schools of the benefits of following the apprenticeship route rather than university which is not for everyone. As a former apprentice myself I am a big fan of the combination of on the job and academic learning which helps young people mature faster than they would through purely academic learning. Our own experience is that young people who have followed the apprenticeship route are generally far better able to cope with the complex relationships involved in project management than graduates of the same age. With youth unemployment currently close to a million urgent action is needed to prevent the skills gap worsening when the recovery takes effect and workload increases. Does Part L of the Building Regulations go far enough in addressing energy efficiency problems? The step wise approach of Part L to addressing energy efficiency problems is appropriate and generally in line with government carbon reduction targets. Achieving the requirements of Part L can be challenging and to make any further demands on contractors who are already stretched might be counterproductive. Is enough being done to make Electrical contractors aware of it? Contractors are very heavily reliant on consulting engineers to design and specify systems to meet the aims of Part L and there is not a great deal of awareness of the detail of the standard at contractor level in our experience. 

EICR Glasgow

 Will the ongoing commitment to green technology become a help or a hindrance to the industry in the long term? Overall it has to be a positive move for everyone and it is vitally important that the industry embraces the challenges with buildings being responsible for such a high proportion of energy use. When the Government gets around to addressing the issues around bringing existing buildings up to standard there will be lots of opportunities for retro-fitting green technology which will give the industry a much needed boost. In the short term the financial and time investment required to up-skill the workforce to be able to deliver green solutions will be a challenge for everyone in the industry. However the longer term benefits will be immense in business and environmental terms. How would you forecast levels of customers’ investment in intelligent buildings over the next few years? As a controls specialist we hope that it would increase significantly which would make a major contribution to energy efficiency and carbon reduction. I firmly believe that the construction procurement process frequently fails to deliver the optimum solution to building owners and the biggest obstacle to achieving this is the competitive tendering culture. 

Electrical testing Westend Glasgow

The prime commercial objectives of the specialist contractors who implement the majority of building engineering services are to be the lowest cost or to be uniquely specified or ideally both. This adversarial culture prevents sharing of knowledge and collaboration between contractors and leads to duplication and waste throughout the supply chain. The move towards frameworks and alliances are to be applauded and we are hopeful that the trend towards more collaborative working practices will grow. How far can the 2012 London Olympics go to show that the UK’s electrical industry is one of the healthiest in the world? The London Olympics certainly puts the UK construction industry in the shop window and is a wonderful opportunity to show what we can do. After some of the recent disasters like Wembley Stadium and the Scottish Parliament it is great to have a major project to demonstrate the innovation and creativity of the industry and the ability to bring in such a large venture on time and within budget. I am sure that everyone involved in the venture will be proud to be associated with it and the benefits of the regeneration of the area will be felt for many years to come. I wonder if any of the competitors are electricians? How do you see the electrical industry developing over the next 10 years? I see the industry becoming more varied with new technologies and techniques coming to the fore, such as wireless communication, which will make installations faster and safer. Communication will be a key driver towards more intelligent buildings with all services within a building becoming more integrated. This will bring provide energy efficiency benefits and make buildings more user friendly. Energy reduction will be at the forefront of all aspects of product development and building and operation standards. I believe the distinction between designer and contractor will become more blurred as procurement methods change to recognise the value that can be added by alliances of organisations combining to design and build projects that closely match customer requirements. To sustain profitable growth electrical contractors should embrace collaborative working practices and develop their technical competence in all aspects of design and implementation to be able to offer a comprehensive service to the industry.