Great Britain: the conflict with the seven subcontracting construction firms who left the joint industry board is fading down

The conflict is the result of the attempt by a group of seven large electrical contracting employers to simultaneously cut wage rates by up to 30% and establish a new bargaining forum. The attempt to impose semi-skilled grades on skilled workers in the sector is encompassed within the proposed Building Engineering Services National Agreement (BESNA, see our dispatch No.  110747) by the seven companies – Balfour Beatty Engineering Services Limited; N G Bailey Building Services; Crown House Technologies; Gratte Brothers; SPIE Matthew Hall; Shepherd Engineering Services (SES); and T. Clarke PLC. On January 9, 2012, the deadline for employees to accept the new terms, although many employees had signed, there was still resistance to do so from a sizeable number of others.