Coronavirus update from Richard Catt, CFA CEO
Source – CFA
Last week felt like one of the longest of my career. I don’t think it is over dramatic to say that it feels like a week that will probably change the rest of my working life, as well as many of those within our membership and the wider sector. Two things stand out:
First - The pace of change
Last Monday, the 16th March, I drove to work very conscious of the increasing concerns around Covid-19. I left the office on the previous Friday wondering if I would be travelling to Scotland the following week. The news came quicker than I expected and by the end of Monday, the Government had recommended against all unnecessary travel and meetings. Needless to say, my trip was cancelled and by Friday all the schools, pubs, restaurants and cafes were being told to close. As the song goes, “what a difference a day makes, 24 little hours”.
Second - The realisation we have little control (in a business sense)
Before anyone had come to terms with the last Government announcement, the next had been made. Each one left you rocking with its scale. By Thursday 19th March I was hoping that Boris would be able to slow down, and for that day it felt like he did, but it picked up again on Friday. Each time, all that we could do was react to the things that were announced, exploring what it meant for our members and looking for alternatives to continue helping our sector to keep calm and carry on. But it was difficult. Unlike a recession or anything else we have faced, this is not something where you can easily identify links to business matters that in turn lend themselves to normal solutions. Whilst some members continue to work, others have already had work suspended or delayed indefinitely, meaning that they have been faced with stark choices about employees and calculating how long they can last. The restrictions on movement deepen and with that our ability to function on every level.
One of the most important developments has been financial support for those employed but laid off. But as I write, that still leaves an enormous void for those in our industry who are self-employed.
The CFA's Response
As well as re-organising our own team and immediately starting home working plans, we also began to put together as many resources as we could to help our members navigate these difficult times. These have included:
- A clear stream of targeted information selected from trusted sources
- Templates such as a site and business continuity plan
- This blog, which can be accessed from the home page of the CFA website, with daily news and updates
- A reminder to members of key helplines to assist them with specific problems:
- Employment
- Health and Safety
- Contractual and legal
- A daily update of Government guidance specific to construction from Build UK, hosted on this blog
- Access to live economic and supply chain information though the Construction Products Association
- Lobbying to Government on issues such as support for those laid off
- Specific guidance for individual members who contact us
I am reassured by the Government’s response to date and their guidance in managing, to the best of their ability, the spread of the virus with the crucial goal of trying to ensure that the NHS is not overwhelmed. Of course that is the reason why we are all, generally, responding to those Government measures.
The CFA is the voice of the Contract Flooring Industry and we will continue to work hard on behalf of our members and the sector to get through this crisis. If anyone has anything they would like to discuss with me, or issues they would like to raise, please get in touch using richard@cfa.org.uk.
Above all else, keep safe and well.