INDUSTRY NEWS
voice OFTHE INDUSTRY
Mark Spence, Assistant Director, Construction
Employers Federation.
CEF ASSISTANT DIRECTOR MARK SPENCE REFLECTS ON THE NI EXECUTIVE’S MIXED MESSAGES... Muddying thewaters
C onstruction in Northern Ireland has acted responsibly since the start of the current Covid-19 crisis by leading with a safety-first message for contractors, employees and clients. Immediately following the lockdown ‘stay at home’ statement by Prime Minister, Boris Johnston on March 23, the Construction Employers Federation (CEF) issued unambiguous guidance that only essential construction work should continue in support of the fight against the coronavirus. CEF had for weeks been reviewing the extent of work that could feasibly be carried out within the social distancing
guidelines. Taking into account the views of a growing number of concerned members, it was decided that as a temporary measure, there was no alternative but to call for the industry to stand down in the interests of public safety. That call was heeded by the vast majority of the industry who can rightly be commended for doing the right thing. The shutdown of the industry here was followed in quick succession by Scotland, The Republic of Ireland and most of Great Britain. In the interim, the industry has led the support of frontline workers in practical ways, such as donations of PPE, and crucially in terms of the daily
delivery of essential services including converting COVID-19 wards in hospitals, maintaining utilities, logistics and essential maintenance of care homes, retail, manufacturing and vulnerable housing. Unfortunately, from day one of the crisis there has been a level of political ambiguity and ineptitude in messaging as the Northern Ireland Executive attempts to resolve the seemingly irreconcilable aims of keeping the economy moving and maintaining public safety. The release of an ‘advisory list’ of ‘priority sectors’ was the most recent in a long line of inconsistent messaging that failed to add clarity to an already confused picture.
12 | NI BUILDER
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