The squeeze
This week isn鈥檛 showing the best of large construction firms, with our examination of the gender pay gap and peering into the murky world of payment practices.
A decade ago, as the financial crash got underway and pressure mounted on the sector, there were also some serious questions being asked about major contractors. 鈥淎re main contractors really as bad as the big bad wolf?鈥� we said.
To some small firms, they certainly were. Many companies were cutting the number of specialists they used and expecting firms to compete harder and give more to get jobs.
Costain, for instance, was dramatically cutting the number of specialists it used 鈥� from 18,000 to between 2,000 and 3,000. Not to mix up literary references, but that kind of competitive culling sounded more like The Hunger Games than a fairytale.
鈥淟ast week three members of my team were tied up running a stall at a recruitment fair for a client. We weren鈥檛 paid for it and it didn鈥檛 lead to anything for us,鈥� said one small business owner.
Andrew Wyllie, Costain鈥檚 chief executive, blamed client pressure: 鈥淥ur customers are looking for more for less all the time. We have to offer enhanced services for lower prices.鈥�
To read the full article from 15 February 2008, click here
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