Labour

12.06.17

Testing Times?

What drama we saw last week with the election! One person who is certainly not pleased with the result is housing minister Gavin Barwell, who lost his seat in Croydon Central to Labour candidate Sarah Jones.

The result left construction uncertain about future policies as Theresa May’s promise of “strong and stable” government turned weak and wobbly.

Greg Hill, Deputy Chief Executive at house builder Hill said: “No business likes uncertainty and housebuilders like it least of all.

“This hung parliament and the horse-trading that will take place over housing policy to get a coalition in place means that many housebuilders will hit the pause button on their investment decisions.

“This is the exact wrong moment for a construction slow down. The country needs new homes desperately.

“We hope that the negotiations are concluded rapidly so that the new government is in place and ready to work with the sector to go out and get building.”

In construction news this week…

Cricket chiefs plan major upgrade for the Oval. Surrey CCC is planning to make the Kia Oval the largest cricket stadium in the UK with a capacity of 40,000.

Fears grow over UK economy as manufacturing and construction stumble. Manufacturing and construction sectors performed poorly in April.

London City office plan resurrected. Developer Fairplay Estates is seeking planning permission for a new 315,000 sq ft office building at the edge of the City of London high-rise cluster.

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

SSSTS – 15th & 16th June 2017

UKATA Asbestos Awareness – 19th June 2017

SMSTS Refresher – 22nd & 23rd June 2017

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

15.05.17

Click here to get the latest!

The head of Europol has warned that the threat from the cyber attack that crippled international services “will continue to grow” as people return to work on Monday. Since Friday’s breach more than 200,000 victims – including the NHS – across 150 countries have been infected by the Wanna Decryptor ransomware, also known as WannaCry.

Today, Labour will promise an extra 37 billion for the NHS and pledge to remove a million people from NHS waiting lists today. The Tories are talking about workers’ rights, including new rights for those who have to leave work to care for family members, or experience child bereavement, a greater stake for workers in their companies, and a commitment to continue increasing the National Living Wage. While the LibDems say they would get rid of the public sector pay cap.

Emmanuel Macron has promised to restore France’s global standing, as he was inaugurated as the country’s youngest president at the age of 39.

In construction news this week…

Nominate your construction heroes now. There is less than a month left to nominate potential winners of this year’s Construction Enquirer Awards.

Hunt for £250m London concert hall design team. City of London Corporation has started the search for a design team to work up concept plans for a world-class concert hall in London.

Hero Keltbray worker steps in to save commuter. A Keltbray machine driver turned have-a-go-hero this week when a raging commuter confronted a woman at London’s Liverpool Street Station.

In MECsafe news this week…

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

SSSTS (Supervisors) – 18th & 19th May

Health & Safety Awareness – 24th May (ask us about completing your CSCS test on the same day)!

CCNSG – 25th & 26th May

SSSTS Refresher – 26th May (book before your current cert expires to save time and money)!

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

24.04.17

Stick to the Speed Limit!

The Queen celebrated her 91st birthday on 21^st April. Her majesty is the oldest monarch to have reigned in Britain.

Jeremy Corbyn will tell trade unionists today (Mon 24^th April) that if Labour wins the general election, they’ll overturn what he calls the ‘vicious Tory Trade Union Act’. The laws brought in by David Cameron meant that for any strike action, there had to be a 50% turnout at the ballot for the action to be legal.

Tougher fines for motorists who drive well above the speed limit are set to come into force from today. Drivers caught doing 41mph in a 20mph zone, 51mph in a 30mph zone, 66mph in a 40mph or 101mph on a motorway will face penalties starting from 150% of their weekly income – up 50% on the previous level. The new regulations apply in England and Wales.

In construction news this week…

Multiplex turnover soars to record £1bn on tower boom. London high-rise builder Multiplex has ramped up revenue by two-thirds to a record £1bn as a dozen major projects topped out last year.

BAM takes £30m Southampton Uni job. BAM is set to start main building work for Southampton University on a learning and teaching block at the Highfield Campus in the city.

Small builders bullish despite rising costs. Small construction firms enjoyed rising workloads in the first three months of 2017, despite growing concerns over the cost of labour and materials.

In MECsafe news this week…

We have new 2017 CSCS revision material in stock! We will be selling the books at £11.50 each (no VAT, RRP £11.50).
Don’t forget, you can also book your CSCS test at MECsafe in Doncaster, on your preffered date/time. We also offer a card applying service – Please ask us for further information.

We still have plenty of availability on the following courses:

SMSTS Refresher – 27th & 28th April
IPAF 3a & 3b – 2nd May
SSSTS – 4th & 5th May

If you would like any further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.