Editor's comment: Employing good sense

When London won the 2012 Olympics, it was hailed as a wonderful opportunity for Britain's construction industry to show what it could do.

However, as many construction professionals pointed out, the industry can only deliver world-class facilities on time and to budget, if the client creates the right working environment.

The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) started off on the right foot by assuring the industry that it would avoid the mistakes of the Wembley Stadium project. Instead, it would embrace the best practice example of BAA's T5 scheme and the terms set out in the Strategic Forum's 2012 Construction Commitments.

That commitment is starting to look a little shaky following the news that talks have stalled between the unions and the ODA over the adoption of best practice employment conditions.

Fair enough, it's early days yet and this may just be a spot of manoeuvring for position. Nonetheless, it is a worrying sign. The ODA and its project managers can hardly afford to alienate the unions if the Olympics are to be the showcase for industrial relations the ODA claims it wants the project to be.

The original bid also made much noise about helping the local community, so the ODA needs to encourage local training programmes and apprenticeships, and not rely on cheap foreign labour.

The unions are in a powerful position - there can be no change in the delivery date and they know it - but they must not abuse that power by encouraging unwarranted strike action.

But they will find it difficult to keep their members in check if the ODA reneges on its commitment to be a best practice employer. Let's hope good sense prevails.

James Atkinson, Executive editor, Contract Journal

[Contract Journal, 17 January 2007, p 56]