READ HOW THE CEF HAS EVOLVED FROM EARLY BEGINNINGS TO THE MODERN ERA... Amessage from President, John Tracey
A s President of the
Construction Employers Federation, I would like to
take this opportunity to recognise and thank the many staff, Federation members and council and committee members down through the years whose hard work and commitment
collaborating with members to publish best practices and guidance to allow construction work to resume safely. Since then the Federation has continued to work with members to navigate the sector through this challenging time, pressing the NI Executive to invest towards the recovery and keeping members updated with expert advice on how to react to the current challenges we all face. Over its 75-year history, the CEF has been there for its members throughout all manner of challenging times for the industry. We all have to remain positive and proactive. While it’s disappointing that we cannot gather in-person to celebrate this landmark anniversary for the Federation, I am confident that our industry will rebuild and evolve in response to change like it has done before on so many different occasions and that the CEF will play a vital part in leading this recovery. This hopefully, will allow our industry to return to concentrating on delivering the high quality construction projects necessary for the stability and growth of all sectors of our Economy in Northern Ireland. Until then, I would like to once again congratulate the Construction Employers Federation on this fantastic milestone and its role as the authoritative voice of our industry over the last 75 years.
to the construction industry in Northern Ireland has made this
milestone 75th anniversary possible. Strength of leadership and continuity of service to its members have been crucial to the CEF’s success as a representative body for NI construction and it is with that in mind that I would like to pay particular thanks to Managing Director John Armstrong ahead of his retirement for the many years of hard work he has given to our industry. We wish John well for the future. At the same time, welcome to Mark Spence who steps into the role and who I am confident will continue this tradition of strong leadership at the Federation. In the construction industry we are very used to new challenges and innovatively adapting to resolve them. However 2020 has brought challenges that none of us envisaged at the start of the year. It has been a turbulent time for all of us and I am extremely proud of how our industry in Northern Ireland has come together to develop a practical solution to working safely during the Covid-19 pandemic. We as an industry recognise that our people are our most important asset and in this respect we continue to invest in them and their wellbeing. The CEF has been at the forefront of this activity, leading the industry response to the pandemic during the early days of lockdown by
MODERN ERA Finally, in the 1990’s, the name was changed to the more easily remembered ‘Construction Employers Federation’ and the CEF of today came into being. The overarching goal, however, remained the same and the CEF continued to protect the interests of those engaged in the construction industry, becoming instrumental in the promotion of ongoing training and better health and safety standards, with schemes like the Construction Skills Register and Safe-T-Cert accreditation. More recently, the CEF has led the industry response to the Covid-19 crisis, setting up a member-led Task Force to collate the best guidance available and making this accessible not just to members but to the entire industry. The Federation has also been active at Stormont, using its influence to press the NI Executive to invest already allocated budgets in the recovery before they are forced to return unspent monies to the Treasury. After 75-years, it’s safe to say that the Construction Employers Federation is showing no signs of slowing down.
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