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28th January 2021
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Launch of Fair Treatment Charter at sell-out conference could mark turning point for industry
Last Friday saw StreetwiseSubbie.com host its sell-out conference and launch its 'Fair Treatment Charter' to close to 100 delegates from the UK construction industry.
The buzz at the conference was felt by all as nine speakers took to the floor to each share their own knowledge, experiences and expertise in a bid to help specialist contractors take control of both their businesses and the future of the industry, which has long since been suffering at the hands of contractors who see it as purely a means to a financial end and pay late, pay less than agreed or don't pay at all.
The main attraction of the event was the launch of the Fair Treatment Charter, which StreetwiseSubbie.com founder Barry Ashmore put forward to delegates on the day (see it at: www.streetwisesubbie.com). The support for the proposed Charter was overwhelming, with many hailing it as 'the industry's fix' and many more downloading copies from StreetwiseSubbie.com with the intent of spreading the word to their peers who could not attend the event.
Barry says it was made clear to him during his trip to Parliament that David Cameron and many MPs simply do not understand, or don't want to acknowledge, the full extent of unfair treatment and the contribution this is making to the slow decline of the UK construction industry.
"The industry has to find an answer. We are in a unique position to understand the plight of the specialist contractors whatever their size or specialisation, because we are in touch with literally thousands of them on-line, and our nationwide network of consultants are helping them resolve problems on a daily basis. If the Government cares about the industry and the 200,000 jobs already lost they need to action this now, before it's too late!
"The Fair Treatment Charter has been launched, and whether the Government take notice or not, the specialist contractors of the UK have shown their willingness and readiness to take action and we have provided them with the necessary tools.
"The industry is dominated by the big corporate players who have the resources to survive. They also have a stranglehold over their supply chain simply because they control the flow of cash. But, the shocking and grim reality of the situation for the construction industry is that more than 5,000 specialist contracting companies have failed since the start of recession, and over 200,000 jobs lost, and that can't be good for the industry or the economy."
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14th June 2013