Construction union UCATT have welcomed the announcement that the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) is to reform its green card.

From July 2014 people applying for or renewing the entry level green (labourers) card will be required to complete a level 1 vocational qualification course in health and safety for construction labourers.

The reforms are necessary as the green card, which is easier to qualify for than other CSCS cards and therefore provides easy entry to construction sites, has been abused.

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Many workers who have additional skills and should have a more advanced card only have the green card. Often employers encourage workers just to apply for a green card in order to get them on to sites quickly and they then use the fact the worker only has a green card as an excuse to pay them a lower rate of pay.

Steve Murphy, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "We welcome the CSCS reform of the green card scheme. This will help to ensure that workers have the right card for the right job. This will be a major step forward in achieving a 100 per cent qualified and competent workforce."

There will be an additional cost of undertaking the qualifications required to achieve the revised green card and UCATT believes that it must be the responsibility of employers to fund this training.

(CD/MH)