Scottish Parliament congratulates construction trade body on national award

Monica Lennon (left) and the SELECT team (right) at the awards ceremony

MSPs from across the political spectrum have congratulated SELECT on its recent national awards victory, which saw the trade body recognised for helping its members and the wider industry navigate the challenges brought about by the pandemic.

The trade association has been singled out for praise in the Scottish Parliament in a motion lodged by Monica Lennon, the Scottish Labour and Scottish Co-op MSP for Central Scotland.

The motion, which has already been backed by 18 other MSPs, came after SELECT triumphed in the Best Membership Support Since Covid-19 category at the Association Excellence Awards.

Tabled on 24 October, the motion notes that the Parliament “congratulates SELECT, which won the award for Best Membership Support Since COVID-19 at the Association Excellence Awards, which recognise what it sees the vital work carried out by trade organisations across the UK.”

The motion also “understands that the judges praised SELECT for its hard work during lockdown and beyond, saying that ‘SELECT went the extra mile to provide the personal touch, practical support via one-to-one contact, financial assistance and mental health support to members’.”

The motion “further understands that SELECT also delivered a huge range of employment, financial, health and safety and contractual guidance via its in-house teams and through the creation of the Construction Industry Collective Voice (CICV) initiative, and wishes SELECT all the best for the future”.

Those supporting the motion include fellow Labour politicians Foysol Choudhury, Paul O’Kane, Paul Sweeney and Martin Whitfield, the SNP’s Karen Adam, Colin Beattie, Jackie Dunbar, Bill Kidd and Fulton MacGregor, and the Conservative MSPs Miles Briggs, Alexander Burnett, Sharon Dowey, Pam Gosal, Jamie Halcro Johnston, Edward Mountain, Graham Simpson, Sue Webber, and Tess White.

Alan Wilson, MD of SELECT, said, “We are enormously grateful to Ms Lennon for submitting this motion, which focuses attention on this award at the very highest level. It also pleasing to see it being backed by so many politicians from all sides, many of whom continue to support our ongoing crusade for regulation of the electrical industry to help make the country a safer place.”

SELECT’s response to the pandemic included offering electrical contractors a discounted subscription and practical support to help them weather the uncertainty.