We have to be very practical when proposing changes because what can be seen as one slightly impractical or unreasonable suggestion can have all the good ideas thrown out.
Tamz has posted the pay rates in his area, Mrs Tara Plumbing has posted some very points about after hours work people do.
Look at both and ask why a skilled person taking home less than £400.00 should be stopped using their skills to supplement their income, are we employing people or using the rules to ensure we have what could be seen to be a type of slave labour?
We can't impose our rules on the lives of employees 24 / 7 it's hard enough ensuring they comply with our own business standards while representing us in customers homes and business premises.
I suggest open the gates for every qualified person to have their own GSR / RGII registration if they wish to comply with the rules of registration, at least that makes them and their installations legal and subject to all of the rules and responsibilities a registered party must follow.
This prevents the truly dangerous parties in the industry from beating the prices down further;
The site labourer / helper who thinks he knows enough to carry out an installation on a Saturday or Sunday.
The DIY who can also be from an associated trade or worse the internet / forum trawling expert who reads posts and says "Ye I can do that".
Bring everyone who is qualified onto the playing field, at least that way the referee can observe fair play or issue penalties where appropriate, it is important to remember that for as long as there are people operating on the sidelines they are outside the system and must be caught before any action can be taken.
A reply to the proposal to allow DIY, friends etc can be answered using the gas explosion highlighted earlier, an explosion in one house damaged how many others?
What happens to the owners of the adjoining properties who may not have home insurance cover?
If the cause was DIY or similar who will meet the cost of restoring the properties or the medical bills?
There are good rules and regulations already in place, maybe it would be better to get all of the interested / monitoring parties together to agree on the code of conduct and then publish a simple easy to understand set of rules (no more than ten or twelve) that the consumer can understand.
Then bring in the fuel suppliers (Gas companies) to take the rules as conditions of supply and to publish the rules on each bill or notification they send to the consumer as they are the ones who have the most contact with the consumer.
