A selection of readers’ comments about news and issues in the industry from across the CIOB community and social media.
‘We were left alone’: how ISG’s collapse is affecting pregnant staff
Two workers who were about to go on maternity leave when ISG filed for administration in September told CIOB People how the fallout has turned their lives and careers upside down.
The article really struck a chord. I was also made redundant following the collapse of ISG, a mere three weeks before going on maternity leave. Reading the ISG workers’ stories is exactly what my partner and I are going through, placing us in immediate debt and uncertainty about our future. Unfortunately, as a senior employee, I too have been the breadwinner in our household which has now left a huge hole in our ability to live and survive following ISG’s demise.
Name and job title provided
Yet again, pregnant women and mothers are left alone. I was at risk of redundancy by Carillion while on maternity leave and felt abandoned by my managers. Worse, I was being pushed into a non-technical role simply because it ‘suited’ part-time working women. No effort was made to create a technical role aligned with my experience and skills.
This was over 10 years ago, and it’s disheartening to see we haven’t moved on as much as we might think. I hope people read the article and reflect on how they can better support these women.
Ele George
If you are a construction employer able to offer ISG employees who are pregnant or on maternity leave a part-time or full-time position, please email [email protected]
Grenfell Inquiry: what are the recommendations?
Problems in the construction sector go well beyond the issues brought up [by the Grenfell Inquiry’s final report]. For example, in the retrofit of buildings there are certified systems that have an in-built risk of thermal bridging together with damp and mould – but they comply with building regulations!
Aligned with that is the obsession with long-term guarantees for insulation materials which often results in the wrong type of materials being used because they have the guarantee and others don’t. The government could alter the latter straight away.
Prof John Edwards FCIOB via LinkedIn
Call for mental and physical health to be ‘on par’ in the workplace
A corporate psychologist and Institution of Civil Engineers fellow is urging employers to treat equally mental health injuries and physical injuries caused by work-related incidents.
Excellent idea, it is time that employers treat mental health the same as physical, as it can be as debilitating, sometimes more so than physical health challenges. By making this reportable under RIDDOR, it may start to change the stigma and barriers people suffering from mental health challenges face.
We need policies that actually work, and not just something that looks good on a poster or a social media post once a year for Mental Health Day.
Warren Davey
Wates fires employee over ‘unacceptable’ Hillsborough comments
CM 03/10/2024
Wates Group fired a project manager after he was charged following ‘malicious communications’ shared on social media after a man died during a Sheffield Wednesday game.
I have worked for Wates Construction many times as a freelance site manager and it’s very sad to see Wates’s name attached to this. The company has the highest standards I have come across in my 51 years of being in construction and long may they continue.
Paul Corcoran
Share your views on the latest industry issues by posting comments online atvwww.constructionmanagement.co.uk or by emailing the editor at [email protected]
