The Scottish Construction Leaders Forum (SCLF) has today (Aug 28th) released a draft recovery plan outlining how the construction industry can recover from the impacts incurred by Covid-19.
The recovery plan has been created in conjunction with over 50 organisations including businesses, Government, trade unions and others.
The recovery plan sets out the immediate response to Covid-19 as well as a longer-term plan for how the industry can build a stronger, fairer and greener economic future for Scotland.
The construction industry within Scotland generates £7.8bn GVA per year and employs over 143,000 across 50,000 enterprises, however it is estimated that the sector contracted by 28.6% in June 2020 when compared to the previous year.
Peter Reekie, chief executive of the Scottish Futures Trust and chair of the editorial group of the Construction Leadership Forum, said:
“The construction industry in Scotland has received a major blow from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“However, the level of collaboration which has gone in to preparing this Recovery Plan is unprecedented and sets a strong foundation for transformative recovery for the industry.”
Reekie called for investors to show faith in Scotland’s construction industry, he added:
“I urge all stakeholders with an interest in the construction and related industries in Scotland to feed in your thoughts to make it even stronger.”
The plan calls for key actions to respond to immediate needs which include:
- A clear pipeline of work brought to market quickly and efficiently on fair commercial terms which reflect the reality of the Covid-19 environment.
- Support of employment, fairness of work and those who may become unemployed through what will be a difficult period.
- Transformation of working practices to maintain and enhance worker safety whilst enabling productivity in the Covid-19 working environment.
Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said:
“The construction sector supports many other areas of our economy so it is important that we maintain the health and vitality of the industry.
“In order to develop this plan, we have reached new heights of collaboration but we are now keen to hear from the wider industry to ensure that we arrive at a plan that will preserve jobs and help to revive our economy.”
