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These agreements are with the trade union Unite (in respect of hourly paid Operatives) and its white-collar section EESA (in respect of staff employees).
Working rules, wages, terms and conditions for Operatives in the industry are contained in the National Agreement, operated jointly between the trade union, Unite (on behalf of Operatives) and BESA (on behalf of Employers). This National Agreement is the centrepiece of employee relations in the H&V contracting sector of the industry and is used mainly by companies engaged on industrial and commercial pipefitting and ductwork installation.
The key advantages of using the Agreement are:
The Agreement provides a level playing field between competing contractors in relation to pay and terms and conditions of employment for Operatives, leaving contractors to compete on quality of service, technical excellence, efficiency and delivering client satisfaction
It offers employees attractive terms and conditions of employment, including welfare benefits and pension
The employment package keeps pace with current employment legislation, leading to certainty in employers' employment practices
Use of the Agreement helps promote long-term labour price and industrial relations stability, avoiding the need for company negotiations
The Agreement defines standards in relation to pricing the labour content of jobs comprising, principally, nationally negotiated terms & conditions of employment and hourly pay rates for building engineering services craft personnel engaged on mechanical services work on construction sites. The rates of pay and terms and conditions of employment it sets out are widely recognised for tendering purposes by both clients and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
It provides a basis for identifying, demonstrating and securing the skills of those employed in the industry
It incorporates the ability for employers to pay employees’ travel-to-work and accommodation costs tax-free, by agreement with HMRC, without the administrative complications usually associated with this practice
Enquiries from employers about the application, interpretation or implementation of the Agreement may be made to any member of the BESA Employment Affairs and Skills Department team, email: employmentaffairs@thebesa.com; or telephone any of the Department's Employee Relations Advisers.
Alternatively, individual employees may be advised by their employer to contact the appropriate Unite trade union official, whose details can be found at Appendix J of the Agreement.
Click here to go to Unite’s website for more information
BESA National Agreement Handbook
The Environmental Engineering Industry (EEI) Staff Salary Agreement applies to: technical/managerial; supervisory; administrative and clerical staff; and student engineers.
The parties to this Agreement are BESA and the Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) on behalf of the employers, and the Staff Association EESA, on behalf of the staff.
The centrepiece of the Agreement is a straightforward-to-use, free-from-bureaucracy job evaluation scheme. The scheme is a recognised method of assisting employers put in place a grading and pay structure for their staff employees which is fair, equitable and rational – whether or not they use the EEI Agreement.
The salary structure of the Agreement sits neatly against the grades that emerge from applying the job evaluation scheme.
The salaries set out in the Agreement are objectively and quantifiably linked to the salary levels which independent research shows are paid in the marketplace.
Two salaries are given for each grade:
Pay progression between the grade minimum salary and the guide salary for a fully competent employee is performance-based using a formal personnel appraisal method developed and implemented in accordance with the guidance in the Joint Guidance Note contained in the Staff Salary Handbook of Agreements.
The Staff Salary Agreement is available for members to download. Enquiries from employers about the application, interpretation or implementation of the Agreement may be made to any member of the BESA Employment Affairs and Skills team.
Enquiries from employers about the application, interpretation or implementation of the Agreement may be made to any member of the BESA Employment Affairs and Skills Department team, email: employmentaffairs@thebesa.com; or telephone any of the Department's Employee Relations and Skills Advisers.
Alternatively, individual employees may be advised by their employer to contact the appropriate EESA official.
Environmental Engineering Industry: Handbook of Agreements Environmental Engineering Industry: Job Evaluation / Grading SchemeSignup to our mailing list for industry news and information from the BESA
