2024-07-04 16:44:00
What if we postpone our vacations or spread them out? That’s what the construction department asked its employees in early July.
There is a shortage in the construction industry, which is hampering contractors from meeting construction deadlines. In addition, bad weather this year disrupted the industry’s holiday season.
In some small and medium-sized companies, bosses are asking employees to review their vacations. Large companies cannot modify vacations, which are usually determined through collective work agreements. These vacations will start tomorrow and end at the end of the month.
As a result, small businesses and subcontractors are more flexible. Florian Cop, manager of a construction equipment rental company in Liège, has never had so much work at this time of year. “The rentals here are going well and will continue to go well, we had a truck leave with four machines and today we are still delivering 15 machines”he explained. “We continue to remain open and continue to supply construction companies in July and August.”
‘Serious delays’
Other companies have lagged far behind. Niko Demeester, managing director of the Embuild construction alliance, said it had never been seen before. “What we’ve been through in the last month is historic”he confided. “Huge delays accumulated due to the constant inconsistencies, meaning construction sites were one to three months behind schedule, which is a new record.”
These delays don’t help anyone, least of all customers. For business leaders, the equation is clear: No jobs, no revenue. “It also meant we were unable to send out invoices to generate the necessary revenue, while fixed costs continued to increase”Niko Demeester of Soul. “Cumulative delays have resulted in two-thirds of construction companies experiencing cash flow problems over the past few months.”
As a result, workers are being asked to make up for the losses, but eight out of ten companies will not take furloughs. Instead, they will favour overtime or delay the start of furloughs by a day or two at most.