SELECT has agreed to not raise its membership fees for 2021, in a move that should help member firms dealing with the financial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The campaigning body for the electrotechnical sector in Scotland will keep its subscription fees the same as for 2020 for all businesses that are already members of the industry group. This decision follows the three-month subscription refund that SELECT issued earlier this year.
John McGhee, director of resources and association secretary, noted, “As a not-for-profit organisation, we are here to put our Members’ needs first, so once again, that’s exactly what we are doing.
“It was decided by the Central Board and agreed at the AGM in September that there would be no increases to the subscription rates in 2021, and we are happy to roll this out to help Member firms of all sizes across Scotland.
“In addition, this year’s turnover declaration forms have been sent out and we encourage Members to advise us of any change or expected change in their turnover due to the COVID pandemic as we want to ensure that Members pay the correct amount of subscription.”
The move follows the decision earlier this year to issue a 30% discount on 2020 subscription fees, with a total of £329,405 refunded. Members who had already paid their subscription in full received the money back, with those paying by direct debit having only seven of the 10 instalments collected.
John added, “Measures like this are unprecedented, but we continue to live in unprecedented times and we believe it’s right to offer as much financial assistance as possible to our Members.
“Keeping subscription fees the same for one year is another small step to helping contractors everywhere, and SELECT will continue to ensure that it does as much as possible to support its Members in a host of different ways.”
The new move is among a number of measures that SELECT has introduced to help Members through the pandemic, including online training, advice webinars and a dedicated Covid-19 hub. SELECT, Scotland’s largest construction trade association, is also playing a role in the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum.
Alan Wilson, SELECT managing director, commented, “This financial assistance is the latest in a host of measures we have taken to ensure our Members are fully supported. This support will continue long after the pandemic has subsided, as we continue to put the needs of our members first.”