At the recent StreetwiseSubbie National Conference, StreetwiseSubbie.com launched its Fair Treatment Charter to around 100 delegates from the UK construction industry.

At the recent StreetwiseSubbie National Conference, StreetwiseSubbie.com launched its Fair Treatment Charter to around 100 delegates from the UK construction industry.

On 7 June, nine speakers took to the floor to share their own knowledge, experiences and expertise in a bid to help specialist contractors take control of their businesses and the future of the industry, and StreetwiseSubbie founder Barry Ashmore put forward the Fair Treatment Charter to attending delegates.

Ashmore claimed it was made clear to him during his trip to Parliament that David Cameron and many MPs fail to understand or acknowledge the full extent of unfair treatment, and the contribution this is making to the slow decline of the UK construction industry.

"The industry has to find an answer,” Ashmore said. “We are in a unique position to understand the plight of the specialist contractors, whatever their size or specialisation, because we are in touch with literally thousands of them online, and our Nationwide Network of Consultants are helping them resolve problems on a daily basis. If the government cares about the industry and the 200,000 jobs already lost, they need to action this before it's too late.

"The Fair Treatment Charter has been launched, and whether the government takes notice or not, the specialist contractors of the UK have shown their willingness and readiness to take action, and we have provided them with the necessary tools.

“The industry is dominated by the big corporate players who have the resources to survive. They also have a stranglehold over their supply chain simply because they control the flow of cash. But the shocking and grim reality of the situation for the construction industry is that more than 5,000 specialist contracting companies have failed since the start of recession, and over 200,000 jobs lost, and that can't be good for the industry or the economy.”