CIOB drives professional ethics

At the Chartered Institute of Building's (CIOB) 47th Annual Dinner current CIOB President Allan McMullen called for professional standards of ethics in the construction industry.

At the Chartered Institute of Building's (CIOB) 47th Annual Dinner current CIOB President Allan McMullen called for professional standards of ethics in the construction industry.

The World Bank has estimated the cost of corruption to the global economy at US$1.5 trillion a year.

More specifically corruption in the Great British construction industry could cost anywhere up to £3 billion a year.

Allan said, "We must recognise how susceptible our industry is to corruption in both the developing and developed world".

"Many projects involve a large number of participants in a complex contractual structure, and most of those are one off developments which makes it difficult to compare costs".

""Both internationally and in the UK we have seen examples of corruption and bad practice which have all contributed to the negative public image of the professions, and any breakdown of trust and integrity can cost lives and is bad for business".

""Ethical behaviour and legal behaviour are not the same, good ethics equals good business".

"There is a suggestion that we have a weakness in our professional education and that ethical training should become a professional requirement for practitioners and clients of construction".

"The CIOB would welcome such a move and calls for international professional standards of ethics and a change in behaviour of the industry; backed up by stronger legislation and greater transparency".

In the long tradition of this event a variety of distinguished guests, fellows and members attended the evening joining Principal Guest Speaker Boris Johnson MP, the current Shadow Secretary of Higher Education.

*A full copy of Allan McMullen CIOB President's Annual Dinner speech can be found on the CIOB website.

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