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Thread: creating a better electrical industry

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    creating a better electrical industry

    i do believe we all (eletrical contractors big and small) need to start creating a better industry...the only way we are going to achive this is by all joining together dol..aia..eca...and any other body or association involved in the industy

    i do believe there is a place for everyone...and the only way we are going to improve the industry is if everyone from the one man bussiness to the big organisations join together or a smaller groups but speak as one body...unfortunately it is only going to happen if people stop talking and actually do something about it.

    i beleive chris greager has enough experience and knowledge and understanding of the electrical industry to take it forward...he just needs the backing from us as contractors...he is banging his head against a brick wall without "all" of our support...i am not an eca member at present but was for more than 10 years so i can speak for what i know of chris greager and the dealings i have had with him.

    i also dont beleive we should start a new association...rahter take advantage of one that has been around as long as i can remember.

    the industry is what we as contractors allow it to be...at at this point in time...there too much talk and too little active involvement...there are lots of contractors out there...the eca/ecb has a database with all the registered contractors

    we need to find a way to get all all electrical contractors "actively involved"...there are so many social networks...forums...etc available...but only a few people are utilising them.

    i am not a big fan of the aia or mark palmer...in fact i have never met him...only read stuff about him on the internet and articles in the sparks mag...be it negative or positive feedback...at least he is doing something to try improve the industry...more than i can say about a lot of us (electrical contractors)

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    Dave A (01-May-12)

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    I hear you, but of the one man bands who are able to charge less than a hundred bux an hour because they dont have all these things above their head.. Bargaining council, eca...the list goes on.. its easy to say that we should stand together and make a change but how can you compete in a market when the next guy is out to undercut you because his over heads are 1 third of yours? If the industry was monitored properly by the big guns then yes it would make sense to belong to all the associations under the sun.. but they dont look after you as a contractor as far as funding goes and training guys its a no win scenario..

    i dont disagree with you but would like to emphasis that i dont think the big guns are involved as much as they should be. The SETA's all went bust because the lavish lifestyles of the members could no longer be supported.. I just hope that one day people sitting in bars signing certificates for the next pint sees his back side. I hear they making it all digital now which is great!! a step in the right direction! My opinion.

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    In broad terms, my opinion is -

    The overall state of any industry is a result of its leadership and the quality (in concept and execution) of their strategic planning.

    If the electrical contracting industry is in a poor state... just join the dots.

    I suggest the ECA should dump its strategy to manipulate the industry beyond its membership via a bargaining council. My shortest explanation is the proof is in the pudding before us. Slightly longer, protectionism is dead, collective bargaining is past its sell-by date and this has hobbled the healthy development of the industry long enough already. My long explanation would be a thesis which I doubt anyone but the most devout would read.

    I suggest education is more effective than regulation in uplifting an industry. Lots and lots of work to be done on this one - I'll probably put out some thoughts later.

    I think if DoL does not have the technical capacity to fulfil its regulatory obligations, this should be outsourced to an appropriate authority.
    If you're going to outsource, dump the AIA model. It doesn't work that well in the food audit industry (biggest problem being consistency of standards across auditors and auditing groupings, which is rather ironic given the goal is to assure quality i.e. consistently meeting standards ). You need a singular national body with the right mix of constituents for such a role. Of all the bodies already in existence, I'd suggest the ECB is the most likely candidate for transformation to the role - if it comes to that.

    Ultimately the regulatory problem doesn't seem to be one of expertise, though. From what I can gather the core hurdle is a fiscal one.
    In the pest control industry the regulatory function is actually a profit centre for the Department of Agriculture. Admin and inspectorate costs less than the registration income streams. Wild horses wouldn't see this cherry being outsourced. What DoL needs to do is impliment a viable registration fee structure which would cover its costs.

    I also consider that the electrical supply authorities' capacity is being underutilised in a regulatory enforcement role. It wouldn't cost much to develop lines of communication and strategy to tap into what is effectively eyes and ears already deployed (and paid for) on the ground.

    I need to get up at a reasonable hour tomorrow morning, so that will have to do from me for now.
    Last edited by Dave A; 02-May-12 at 04:57 AM.

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    the big question is where to from here...a statergy to start the ball rolling...how do we go about it?

    i agree with dave on the bargaining council issue...so how do we go about changing it?

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    I suggest we give a few others time to voice their opinions before we start exploring the next step.
    3 voices so far - it's not enough.

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    I'm willing to make a contribution to this, but not sure how to.

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    we would need at least 75 % of the registered electrical contractors to be on board...before we could even consider taking this industry forward...personally unless there was some financial gain for the contractors...i dont see it happening anytime soon....i suppose that would be my normal negative self speaking...but if i had to actually got off my butt and got the ball rolling...it would eventually collect enough dust to create an impact...so come fellas do you want to see change or is everyone waiting for me to make it happen.

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by murdock View Post
    we would need at least 75 % of the registered electrical contractors to be on board...
    It's nowhere near as tough as that. Represent a mere* 10% of the industry and getting a seat at pretty much any table that discusses the subject should be fairly simple.

    Ultimately though, given the current state of affairs just a few sensible voices with a clear vision of a way forward should do the trick to get the ball rolling.

    *That's still quite a big number when you consider the size and nature of the industry

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