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Dan

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Saw this posted somewhere. Any truth in it?



Let’s stop pretending the Joint Industry Board (JIB) is fair or impartial. It isn’t. Anyone who’s worked on the tools or tried to progress in the trade long enough knows this. The JIB, along with ECS, ECA, Unite the Union, and JTL, has become a closed circle — making rules, changing them to suit themselves, and punishing those who speak up.

It was supposed to protect standards and represent electricians. Instead, it’s become a tool to control, downgrade, blacklist, and push people out of work.

What’s Really Happening

The ECS card system — controlled by the JIB — is used to block experienced and qualified electricians from jobs.

People who’ve been in the trade for decades are suddenly told they don’t meet some new grading criteria — even though nothing has changed but the goalposts.

Electricians who question the system, report wrongdoing, or stand up for fairness have had their credentials downgraded or revoked, with no proper appeal process.

This is not regulation. This is punishment.

Real Damage, Real Lives

These decisions don’t just stop someone from getting on a job. They ruin lives.

Good tradesmen have been pushed into drink, drugs, depression and homelessness.

Families have gone without. Bills unpaid. Skills wasted.

The mental toll this system has taken is real, but no one at the top ever has to answer for it.

This isn’t just about cards and grades. This is about putting food on the table, keeping a roof over your head, and being treated with basic human respect.

The JIB has helped take all of that away from people who did nothing wrong except speak out or not fit their mould.

Lies and Cover-Ups

People who’ve stood up for children’s rights, raised safety concerns, or exposed misconduct have been deliberately targeted. Their electrical qualifications questioned, false rumours spread, grading blocked or lowered — all to silence and isolate them.

This isn’t accidental. This is a culture of control. And it’s happening behind closed doors, with no transparency and no consequences for those pulling the strings.

The System Is Broken — And It's Time for Accountability

Here’s what needs to happen — and not one day later:

A full, independent investigation into the actions of the JIB, ECS, and those connected to it.

Everyone who has been unfairly downgraded, blacklisted or pushed out must be compensated — financially and professionally.

The individuals and organisations responsible for these decisions must be held accountable — not hidden behind company names and vague excuses.

The ECS grading system needs to be taken out of the hands of those who’ve abused it, and made fair, independent, and answerable to those who rely on it to work.

Enough Is Enough

This isn’t just about one card scheme. It’s about what happens when a few people are allowed to decide who gets to work, who gets punished, and who gets left behind — without oversight or justice.

To anyone in government reading this: you claim to stand for working people — prove it. Investigate this. Compensate the victims. Expose the truth.

And to every electrician who’s been pushed down, shut out, or told to “just accept it” — know this: you’re not alone, and this fight is real.
 
I would rate the the SJIB/ JIB much more than any add-on competent person scheme.


Most trades, especially our industry, requires constant retraining when new regulations come out…. And they’re not there just for the sake of it. New technologies, new safety rules. They have to be passed onto the workers.

After getting any training, applying for the JIB card is basically just a proof of your quals, is pennies compared with other things you may have to spend money on.

Not having a grade card doesn’t lose you jobs if you’re prepared to get one.
The attitude in refusing to get one is possibly the main reason
 
I would rate the the SJIB/ JIB much more than any add-on competent person scheme.


Most trades, especially our industry, requires constant retraining when new regulations come out…. And they’re not there just for the sake of it. New technologies, new safety rules. They have to be passed onto the workers.

After getting any training, applying for the JIB card is basically just a proof of your quals, is pennies compared with other things you may have to spend money on.

Not having a grade card doesn’t lose you jobs if you’re prepared to get one.
The attitude in refusing to get one is possibly the main reason
I wouldn't rate SJIB at all. Just done an EICR on a new build. 92 non compliances - he managed all of the choices C1, C2, C3 and FI's.

Left a live armoured cable on a metal sheet roof

Watched the same contractor undertake remedial works last week and he thought it was ok to use an Milwaukee cable stapler on another SWA cable!

The only good electrical is one that gives a sh$%
 
I wouldn't rate SJIB at all. Just done an EICR on a new build. 92 non compliances - he managed all of the choices C1, C2, C3 and FI's.

Left a live armoured cable on a metal sheet roof

Watched the same contractor undertake remedial works last week and he thought it was ok to use an Milwaukee cable stapler on another SWA cable!

The only good electrical is one that gives a sh$%

Was he also a member of select or NICEIC?

No amount of licensing, regulations, rules can combat some lazy sod cutting every corner possible….. and unfortunately is present in every industry…. Not just trades.
 
Nope, apparently he never got 'around' to joining either. Homeowner has made an official complaint to Trading Standards and also instructed a lawyer.
 
The whole thing reads like the rantings of someone who feels they have been treated unfairly after some form of disciplinary/sacking and want to blame it all on a conspiracy rather than admit they have made a mistake or done something wrong.

There's plenty of work for electricians who aren't JIB registered, I've been working for 20+ years without ever having anything to do with the JIB.
 
It would be interesting to know the source of the rant @Dan posted to get some context as some of the points for me are more like the days of 1970's and 80's employment when Frank Chapple ruled the EETPU, when I first started in the industry at 16 I was on a few occasions refused access to some sites until the electricians pointed out at 16 I could not join the union at 18 the union card automatically popped through the letterbox dues paid by the JIB from the employers JIB fees. I doubt some of the comments are representative of the last 25 - 30 years

Given the current state of the industry and how it got to the state it is in is clearly down to many governments moving the goalposts and manipulating the industry over the last 40 years and in particularly the training of apprentices then throw into the mix Part P which was seen by the likes of Emma Clancy as a growth opportunity for Certsure / NICEIC with extremely low qualification levels needed to get into the CPS scheme willingly aided and abetted by numerous training companies making big earning promises while delivering the bare minimum of training with those buying into it only getting a number of what could be considered add on peripheral qualifications while the core qualifications they really need are not offered after have after being misled

The EAS probably has IMO a lot to do with the posted rant which seems to be by someone with limited past industry knowledge you only have to look at the changes to the EAS documents over the last few years and I'm sure that it is used to also assess the qualifications needed to obtain an ECS card. In an evolving industry where training has not had any consistant level I think it is reasonable to expect the goalposts to move how can someone with minimal base level qualifications expect to continue to hold a card when they only hold qualifications below the currently assessed standard

The thing is many sites are now not as / if at all unionised as they once were with many companies choosing to use sub contractors and agency labour these days blacklisting isn't what it was 40 years ago as mentioned in an earlier post what has happened to cause the rant was there a H&S incident on a site that involved him or could he not pass the H&S assessment for the ECS card or is he too lazy to add to what limited qualifications he has I doubt we will ever know
 

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Dan

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Let’s stop pretending the Joint Industry Board (JIB) is fair or impartial
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Certification NICEIC, NAPIT, Stroma, BECSA Forum
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