Unite believes that the HVCA is 鈥渕uscling in on new areas to compensate for its financial difficulties鈥�.
Seven members of the Heating & Ventilation Contractors Association (HVCA) have broken away from the Joint Industry Boards (JIBs) and are adopting instead the new Building Engineering Services National Agreement (Besna).
The union claims that the restructuring to bring in a single agreement for mechanical, electrical and plumbing workers will result in pay cuts of up to 30% because of the introduction of a new grade of semi-skilled workers. Until now, it has targeted its fire on the seven contractors. Now, however, it is questioning the ability of the HVCA to take over from the JIBs because it cannot even balance its own books.
Unite national officer Bernard McAulay said: 鈥淚t is very worrying that the HVCA wants to expand its role in delivering hugely聽 controversial changes聽 in electrical and plumbing contracting, yet it doesn't seem to be able to balance its books.
鈥淲e can only question why Balfour Beatty, Crown House and the others want to put their lot in with an organisation that is seemingly inefficient.鈥�
In the year ending February聽 2011, the HVCA ran up a deficit of 拢303,644, as income fell from 拢14.3m to 拢13.4m, Unite points out. At the same time, staff remuneration increased, from 拢7,286,376 to 拢7,364,049. This followed a loss in the year to February 2010 of 拢17,020.
Unite also questions whether the HVCA鈥檚 training provider - Building Engineering Services Training Limited (BEST) - will be the best organisation to solely deliver all electrical and plumbing apprenticeship training, as is currently being proposed by the breakaway employers. 聽In the year to February 2010, BEST returned a loss of 拢74,826 compared with a profit in the previous year of 拢29,298. And on the last comparable figures (2008/9), BEST鈥檚 Advanced Apprenticeships pass rate was only 65%, compared to the JIB鈥檚 biggest electrical training provider, JTL, which has an 80% success rate.
鈥淯nite is very concerned that BEST is to be HVCA鈥檚 sole training agent, yet its success rate for advanced apprenticeships is much worse than the JTL and many other existing training providers. BEST also can鈥檛 balance its books,鈥� added Mr McAulay.
Unite said that it believes that 鈥淗VCA is muscling in on new areas to compensate for its financial difficulties鈥�. The union has been told that the HVCA intends that its SKILLcard will replace all current skills cards, for BEST to be the sole training agent, and that the Welpan benefits scheme will replace the electrical and the plumbing schemes, with Welpan pensions (formerly known as H&V pensions) becoming the pension scheme. All of these are wholly-owned by the HVCA.
Meanwhile, demonstrations continue at sites where the breakaway seven are working. Protests are planned before work tomorrow morning (Wednesday) outside the Tate Modern art gallery in London, where T Clarkes has an electrical contract on the extension that is currently under construction, and at Manchester Central Library, where NG Bailey is working.
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