Zululand Regional Round Up - June 2010

June proved to be a challenging month for both our office and the industry in general. There have been some unpleasant issues that have required the attention of the Association, we do however accept that this forms part of our service offering and find it extremely rewarding when amicable solutions are arrived at. 

Throughout this past month there were two separate disputes involving members of the Association who had subcontracted work to fellow members. In both instances it revolved around payment and terms of conditions of contract and in both scenarios, middle ground was established and agreements were reached. Members are reminded that in instances such as this, the Association is always happy to mediate and that in most cases an agreeable solution can be achieved.     

We have also had to deal with two complaints from the public relating to work carried out by members. Keeping in mind that when citizens contract to members of the Association, they do so safe in the knowledge that should they be displeased for whatever reason, they do have recourse. In some cases the complaint is not legitimate while in others it’s the contractor who is at fault. Once again it is a function of the Association to mediate in such cases from a position of being totally objective. In both instances we have made headway, the one is completely resolved while the other is in the process of being finalised. 

It’s also been a month where regrettably a number of labor issues have arisen involving members having to retrench staff. While the economists tell us there is indication of an economic recovery, the building industry in Zululand is still suffering in the aftermath of the recession and work is hard to come by. While nobody ever wants to deal with retrenching of staff, in some instances it is unavoidable and throughout June month, we assisted three members in following the correct and proper processes. 

On a positive note we completed a number of site and company safety audits and found it extremely satisfying to see how compliant and committed our members are to Occupational Health and Safety.

Inclosing we congratulate Zululand member and Association stalwart Francios Louw on being elected to the post of Master Builders KwaZulu-Natal President, we wish him a successful a term in office.

Paula Ferraris | Zululand Regional Manager