Master Plumbers sets deadline for Board

Master Plumbers sets deadline for Board to get its act together

The Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board should be given until June next year to get its act together, particularly in terms of communication with industry, says the organisation that has represented the industry for 109 years.

The president of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers, Dave Strong, says it’s too early to take direct action against the Board, although they should be ‘put on notice’ and given deadlines within which to perform.

“We’ve got a small breakaway group calling for heads to roll at the Board. That’s their prerogative, but it’s not constructive,” Mr Strong said.

Master Plumbers represents business owners who collectively employ nearly 5,000 trades people in the plumbing, gasfitting and drainlaying sectors.

Mr Strong said the vast majority of the organisation’s national membership wants a well-run and licensed industry which ensures that competent trades people provide an appropriate level of service and consumer protection.

However, that does impose some degree of cost on industry participants.

“That’s unavoidable, however those costs do need to be well managed.

“For example, the cost of registration for a newly qualified tradesperson is $500 – and that is in each class of license.

“This is a deterrent to many apprentices who have met the cost of obtaining a qualification and then must get over another financial hurdle to work legally in the industry.

“It is hard to see how the Board justifies this cost and we want to see it reduced as much as possible.”

He said the Plumbers, Gasfitters and Drainlayers Board recently attended a major Master Plumbers-organised industry meeting.

“The mood of industry was overwhelming collaborative. Yes there have been issues in the past as noted in the Auditor-General’s report and, yes, we’re still working through some of those problems, but these things take time.

“We hope the improvement process at the Board will speed up now that their new CEO has been appointed, and we really need to give this process, and the new CEO, a chance.

“Doing otherwise is short-sighted and we urge the newly-formed Federation to join the rest of the wider industry in giving the Board a chance to prove itself.”

ENDS

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