Events
Essential Services Working Group (ESWG)
What is the Essential Services Working Group (ESWG)?
Freight Transport Association (FTA) Essential Services Working Group (ESWG) was formed in 2004 to provide a forum for utilities contractors to discuss non-competitive issues arising from the impact of legislation on road traffic law, health and safety and other regulatory requirements.
The group has provided a valuable focus for highlighting the needs and the problems of a specific group of operators engaged in supporting the utilities. The group’s views were of special interest during the recent consultations on rebated fuel, helping to build an effective case. Similarly, the attendance of group members in Brussels during important negotiations on the future of drivers’ hours legislation and exemptions for construction workers was of great benefit.
The ESWG continues to grow as a lobbying group within FTA and now consists of 40 companies within the utility contractor sector. The group conducts a number of business meetings per year, supplemented by an annual conference and is presently working towards completion of a driver training DVD. In 2008, it is expected that five business meetings of the group will be held.
Benefits of ESWG Full Membership
- Lobbying/representation - opportunity for individual members to directly influence FTA sector policy work
- Best practice - access to, and opportunity to contribute to, sector best practices, on non competitive issues yet in the common pursuit of compliance excellence (why waste time re-inventing the wheel!)
- Networking - opportunity to attend six business meetings per year, and meet with fellow ESWG members, build contact base, exchange views on suppliers, etc
- Utilities - work alongside FTA’s utility group members, increasing empathy on both sides
- ESWG voting rights - if you can’t make one of the meetings, nor release a deputy to attend, all ESWG members receive full minutes of each meeting and the entitlement to vote on chairman and vice chairman positions. You will also have the opportunity to stand as chairman/vice chairman
- ESWG communications – receive the ESWG e-newsletter
- ESWG ‘shared training’ - opportunities exist for any training course, of interest to more than one ESWG member, to be delivered to the interested companies on a ‘shared basis’. Subject to geographical convenience, such delivery of tailored training courses for the contractors to the utilities sector can be highly cost effective
Criteria for ESWG Full Membership
To qualify for full ESWG membership, your company must be involved in essential service work such as highway, rail or any other infrastructure maintenance, and contract directly to at least one utility or local authority.
All ESWG members are invited to attend the working group meetings and regular attendance from either the main representative, or an appointed deputy, is expected. From 2008, continued full membership of the ESWG will be dependent upon either the main contact, or appointed deputy, attending at least four of the six business meetings. Failure to attend, or submit apologies from main ESWG member, or an appointed deputy, over three consecutive meetings will automatically revert ESWG membership to an associate status. This will mean the loss of entitlement to stand for, or vote on, elected positions. Members will, however, still receive the minutes and invitations to meetings so that full membership entitlement can be regained once the representative has attended two consecutive meetings.
Benefits of ESWG Associate Membership
- ESWG meeting notes - associate membership would provide for free of charge copies of the business minutes
- Sponsorship - associate members will be given first refusal at times of sponsorship opportunities, eg annual conference, e-newsletters or other future events/communications
- Host meetings - opportunity, subject to full ESWG approval, to provide facilities to host ESWG meetings, which would include the chance for the relevant supplier to present to the group, and offer a site tour, if applicable
- ESWG Supplier Directory - when produced, a priority entry would be available to all associate members
Criteria for ESWG Associate Membership
To qualify for associate ESWG membership, your company must either:
- be a contractor working for any utility or local authority and be involved in essential service work such as highway, rail or any other infrastructure maintenance BUT not wish to attend the regular business meetings
OR
- be a direct supplier to the utilities and their contractors
