And so it begins...........

Friday 29th July - The Big Eight, with the full assistance of the HVCA (Heating and Ventilating Contractors Association), wrote out to their respective workforces, indicating their intentions of pulling out of the National Working Agreements:

• JIB (Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry)
• SJIB (Scottish Joint Industry Board for the Electrical Contracting Industry)
• JIB-PMES (Joint Industry Board for Plumbing Mechanical Engineering Services in England and Wales)
• SNIJIB (Scottish and Northern Ireland Joint Industry Board for the Plumbing Industry)
• HVAC (National Agreement for the Heating, Ventilating, Air Conditioning, Piping and Domestic Engineering Industry)
• MPA (Major Projects Agreement)

The Big Eight are :

• Balfour Beatty Engineering Services Limited
• N G Bailey Building Services
• Crown House Technologies
• Gratte Brothers
• MJN Colston Limited
• Spie Matthew Hall
• Shepherd Engineering Services (SES)
• T.Clarke PLC

This roughly translates to : ALL the hard work put in by skilled tradesmen over the last 40+ years to fight for improved working conditions, improved Health and Safety on site, improved rates of pay and many other things will all be lost with one big eight fingered swipe.

Leaving thousands across the country confused and worried for what might happen.