NAECI deal course

The following feature about NAECI training first appeared in the most recent edition of Building Worker – you can read the full issue online here.

Following a request from Unite’s Construction sector Unite Education developed a Change at Work course for senior reps focusing on the National Agreement for the Engineering Construction Industry (NAECI).

The NAECI sets comprehensive terms and conditions of employment for hourly-paid engineering construction workers and is nearly 40 years old.  Unite is a signatory, and part of the National Joint Council for the Engineering Construction Industry (NJC) which oversees how operation of the NAECI works, undertaking periodic reviews of rates and other terms and conditions.

So it’s important that Unite construction reps fully understand the workings of the NAECI. This importance was underlined by an agreement negotiated earlier in 2024 when thousands of engineering construction workers benefited from a two-year pay rise worth a minimum of 17.4 per cent, following a Unite campaign.

The deal was negotiated after 3,000 Unite NAECI members, who carry out essential repair and maintenance at oil refineries, power stations and pharmaceutical and petro-chemical plants, were balloted and ready for strike action. 

The agreement was not just about pay, and included improvements to sickness and accident benefit along with pension, productivity and apprenticeship reviews.

At the time Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “This outstanding deal was achieved because our members knew the NAECI employers could not ignore their demands if they acted collectively.”

In November a group of senior Unite reps and activists attended the first course. This was held at Unite’s hotel and education centre in Eastbourne and organised by the Unite national education team in conjunction with the Unite Construction sector.

Unite political education officer Barry Faulkner designed the course after discussions with the sector and Unite’s engineering construction members to find out exactly what they wanted.

The course was for union activists who work under the NAECI agreement, focusing on the agreement and other associated documents and how best to use those agreements to win for workers in the sector.

Barry said, “As well as understanding the agreements the course covered building representational and negotiation skills in order to ensure we make best use of the procedures in place under the agreement to resolve disputes.”

“The reps were the experts in this room and we focused on bringing
out the enormous experience they have gained from working in the sector as union activists.”

As with all Unite courses, attendees shared knowledge, skills and experience freely whilst learning from examples of best practice. 

Unite tutor Kenny Gillespie from Scotland delivered the course, and over the week reps also explored cases of where Unite had won for members and how they can
continue to fight for decent terms and conditions.

The course gave delegates the opportunity to work through a series of focused activities and hear from guest speakers to learn how NAECI works.

These activities started with introductions and finding out what people hoped to get from the week before moving on to identifying the issues that affect reps and how Unite organises in the workplace.

Following these basics sessions focused on introducing delegates to the NAECI Agreement helping them understand the scope of the main agreement, identify common issues that arise from it and consider best practice methods of resolving any issues.

The tutor, Kenny Gillespie, explained how NAECI has evolved over the past four decades, both nationally and locally. Kenny pointed out that it has been used as the basis for terms, conditions and industrial relations on over 180 major UK engineering construction projects and 11 R&M (Repair and Maintenance) sites, in addition to UK wide registered work.

Delegates worked in groups to explore NAECI – looking at subject headings, and identifying the major challenges in each area, before discussing any local agreements they may have come across, and how these tie in with the National Agreement. 

An important part of the NAECI Agreement is Section 13. This lays out the approved methods of resolving disputes at work through the Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR) process. A couple of group activities explored ADR looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the processes and how reps can make them work for our members in a fair and equitable way.

This included group members sharing their experience of ADR procedures on their sites and handling disciplinary casework under these procedures. Delegates then had the opportunity to use their experiences, and what they had learnt on the course, to tackle some case studies to practice supporting members. 

The course also covered a wide range of other issues and skills development for delegates including health, safety and welfare under the agreement, the support Unite offers around mental health and stress and improving communications skills. 

It may seem like a week was a long time to familiarise reps with an agreement – but as Barry pointed out, the NAECI is vital in many workplaces and getting a proper grasp of how it works is important.

Barry said, “The course really does need a week. This is to build the teamwork element, work through case studies and fully understand how the agreement works in practical terms.

“Sometimes supervisors often have less understanding of the agreement than reps and officers, and senior reps went away from Eastbourne confident that they understood NAECI and how to negotiate local agreements within its framework.”

Plans are already underway to run the next Change at Work course for a new group of senior reps in the autumn.

By Keith Hatch