registering interest

Sir Michael Latham (or Saint Michael as he was billed at last week's BCSA Dinner) has set construction the Holy Grail of achieving 30% cost reductions in the next five years. There are many paths to explore to reach his target - we shall be examining some in a major series of features over the next few weeks, starting in this issue with a look at operative productivity. Arguably one significant avenue is now opening with the launch this week of a national skills certification scheme (page 3).

Reasons to believe this argument are as follows. A skills register will mean a more reliable workforce is available, which in turn will lead to more work being carried out right first time. Total Quality Management, as Saint Michael calls it.

Another, more convoluted, factor is that registration of both operatives and companies will raise barriers to cowboys entering the industry. (It will also mean failed firms are not so quickly replaced, and therefore reduce over-zealous competition, which is the breeding ground of litigation and claims.) The reason why the point is convoluted is we do not yet have registration of operatives, let alone companies. The CSCS scheme is entirely voluntary. There is no obligation for operatives to register. And those that consider it will have to swallow the idea of forking out a œ12-20 fee.

But the hard reality is that employers will virtually oblige workers to sign up. In other words, membership will become a licence to work.

The CDM regulations are likely to provide further indirect pressure. They will oblige clients to use principal contractors who are competent in safety matters. Contractors, in turn, will be under pressure to employ a competent workforce. With possible legal penalties for default, a lot of edgy people will want to demonstrate their compliance - particularly 'lay' clients.

What is the simple no-fuss way for them to do this? By only employing contractors who demand CSCS membership from the operatives they and their subcontractors employ. Environment Secretary John Gummer virtually hinted as much at the launch when he hailed the scheme as a 'policing method' for the industry.

There has been a second development this week that also points towards registration in some guise. In keeping with a Latham recommendation, the DoE has appointed management consultants to look at the need for a central qualification system for the Government, the result of which could be a standard accreditation system. Whether this is a fruitful exercise or a mere sop hangs on the attitude of Gummer and his staff, which will inevitably colour the perspective of the consultants. The Government is supposedly dedicated to become a best practice client. But as the recent performance of the Highway's Agency demonstrates, there can be a remarkable gulf between posture and practice. Through past comments on bonds, Gummer has shown himself a willing interventionist. However, words won't count with the industry so much as deeds.