{"id":16448,"date":"2018-10-03T15:34:28","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T14:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=16448"},"modified":"2020-11-12T12:58:11","modified_gmt":"2020-11-12T12:58:11","slug":"brexit-tories-construction-slowdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=16448","title":{"rendered":"‘Brexit blot’"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Brexit uncertainty led to the slowest pace of construction industry growth for six months in September, with Unite warning that the Tories\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 lack of an industrial strategy will result in further setbacks for the sector once Britain leaves the EU.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Purchasing Managers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Index (PMI) fell from 52.9 in August to 52.1 in September \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the lowest since snow storms hit the country in March.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Any readings above 50 signifies growth, however economists had predicted that the construction<\/a> PMI for September would stay at August\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s levels.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The survey of building firms, undertaken by IHS Markit, also found confidence among construction managers had fallen to levels not seen since the beginning of 2013.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

IHS Markit spokesman Tim Moore said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bConstruction companies continued to note that political uncertainty acted a key drag on decision making, with Brexit<\/a> worries encouraging a wait and see approach to spending among clients.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) also pointed to uncertainty around Brexit as a reason for sluggish growth.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

CIPS director Duncan Brock said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe Brexit blot on the landscape was still in evidence as housing activity slowed to a pre-April growth rate and clients hesitated to place orders.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe weakest overall activity in six months shows that caution and Brexit concerns remain roadblocks to strong growth.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said the Tories are \u00e2\u20ac\u015bdirectly\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 responsible for the Brexit-related slowdown in the construction sector, which accounts for around 6 per cent of UK GDP.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She explained, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe government is riven by competing factions and has spent more time negotiating with itself than with the EU.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWith all the infighting and jockeying for power, the Conservative\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s going to happen tomorrow, let alone in six months time when we actually leave the EU.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe uncertainty is feeding down into the economy, investment is being delayed and workers are left wondering what will happen to their jobs as firms put off making decisions until things are clearer.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The slowdown comes after research from the Construction Industry Training Board suggested a third of building firms were feeling the Brexit pinch in July, while around 50 per cent of construction industry employers are worried that recruitment will become more difficult during the next two years.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

However Cartmail said employers cannot be \u00e2\u20ac\u015blet off the hook\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 and must share some responsibility with the government for failing to tackle a shortage of skills<\/a> in the sector.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

She said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bA chronic underinvestment in apprenticeships and skills and relying on labour from the EU will worsen the UK\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chronic skills shortage as exiting the EU comes to pass.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bBut not only are the Tories almost certainly unable to deliver a Brexit that retains the frictionless trade with the continent that is so important to our economy, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve neglected to implement an industrial strategy<\/a> that will boost the skills and infrastructure needed to provide decent jobs and buoyant industries after we leave.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Cartmail added, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTheresa May spoke of \u00e2\u20ac\u0098decent patriots<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 during the Tory Conference. If she truly believes in being one, she should admit that her government is unable to deliver a Brexit that will not take a wrecking ball to industry or put policies in place that will help grow a sustainable and fair economy, step aside and call a general election.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brexit uncertainty led to the slowest pace of construction industry growth for six months in September, with Unite warning that the Tories\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 lack of an industrial strategy will result in further setbacks for the sector once Britain leaves the EU.   The Purchasing Managers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Index (PMI) fell from 52.9 in August to 52.1 in September […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3374,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[486,167],"wps_subtitle":"Unite slams Tories for Brexit construction slowdown","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16448"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16448"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25812,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16448\/revisions\/25812"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}