Eran Sib, chairman of the Association of Renovation Contractors, has been working for years to regulate the industry and change its image. His new dream: to establish a school for the construction professions
fiber.
"We are stuck with an image that is far from reality"
Photo:
Inai Ditch
Produced by the Department of Special Supplements
As the groove protruding above the pants began to bother more and more customers on their way to renovating the house, the Association of Renovation Contractors headed by Eran Sib decided to get into the picture and change the image.
The solution: design uniform renovation overalls and distribute them among industry members.
When the renovators were portrayed as black-working diggers, Fiber took steps to regulate the industry.
Today 14,000 renovation contractors are required for the Contractors Registry Licensing Certificates for certain works.
If in the past the lowest classification referred to a minimum of NIS 1.5 million per work, according to the amendment approved by the Building Council, another subclassification to the subcontract (renovations) was added to the subcontract for a scope of works of up to NIS 350,000.
From the moment the installation goes into effect, contractors who are not registered are prohibited from performing work in excess of NIS 45,000.
The name of the profession has also changed: from 2018 the phrase Renovator Out, Renovation Contractor In.
The war on windmills that Siber and his comrades ran must have won them the Israel Prize.
"I've been sitting in the Izat Tzadik studio for a few seasons to capture scams in the industry, and my biggest achievement that even the show told me: Eran, we are not finding Hafarim this year.
I could not ask for more. '
Lifetime
Eran Sib (56, married +3) lives in Hod Hasharon.
He founded the Association of Renovation Contractors in January 2002 because of a shortage of workers and a struggle with haphazards who lower prices and deceive customers.
At first they did not understand what he was shouting from inside the house.
Many of the renovators were angry with him, claiming he was pouring the baby with the water.
He himself is no longer a remodeling contractor today, but a supplier of luxury home stones.
He devotes 12 hours a day to work, about 3 of them volunteering for the success of the association.
"This is the lifeblood of a group of renovation contractors who have decided to change the world order in the industry, eradicate the phenomenon of diggers and stop the discrimination in the construction industry," he explains.
Is not this a lost war?
After all, there will always be diggers.
'We are stuck today with an image that is far from reality.
Since the institutionalization of the renovation industry, we have witnessed a significant reduction in hafarim.
More and more homeowners are applying for two certificates - from a contractor registered with the Registrar of Contractors and from members of the Association of Renovation Contractors. "
How is the cooperation between the Association of Renovation Contractors and the Association of Contractors of Builders of the Land conducted?
"Until recently, the relationship between the associations was good and fruitful, but as an independent body we recently received an unequivocal ultimatum from the association about our very existence as self-employed. The Association of Renovation Contractors was established as an independent body and we as management And mutual respect. "
The association recently promoted the regulation of the plumbing industry.
This is also a jungle
.
"This is a large industry that needs rooting. Plumbing work, like renovation work, requires professional training, safety courses, preservation and improvement of professional knowledge, improving customer service and eradicating the phenomenon of diggers. The first tests within the Association of Renovation Contractors. "The fact that the registrar of contractors accepted the association's request to register the plumbers as registered contractors in the register as well, as we did with the renovation industry, is an inconceivable achievement."
Turning Point
What was the turning point during your tenure as chairman of the association?
"Yoav Galant, who was the Minister of Construction and Housing, made history at the time when he established a new classification for a renovation contractor for small works. The goal was common: to make history for the public in the State of Israel. We called the new classification 131K. "It is a great pride for me. The Ministry of Construction and Housing wanted to call the new classification 0131. With the help of Minister Galant we changed it. I told them: There is no situation in which you will call the renovation industry 0. We have been deprived for decades, no more."
What is the biggest difficulty you are required to deal with?
"I sometimes get calls in the middle of the night, for example when the landlord is arguing with the remodeling contractor. I am asked to bridge the gap between the parties. Unfortunately, I can not help everyone, but I always try to do everything to help."
What is the biggest mistake you made as chairman of the Association of Renovation Contractors?
"I wore a suit at the press conference we held on the occasion of the new classification. It was the first time in my life that I wore a suit, and I felt that it was not me and did not match what I represented."
Who from the government echelon most enjoys working with?
"Minister Yifat Shasha Bitton served as an excellent housing and construction minister, who was very considerate of the renovation industry. At the beginning of the corona there was talk of a general closure, which should have included us as well. After an open dialogue with the minister Financially. "
As one of Gideon Saar's confidants and associates, what about his political future?
"I thought it was a mistake to leave a house like the Likud, but I trust Gideon whose political senses are sharp, and if that's the step he chose, I'm with him. Gideon always said that his run for long distances. The first meeting between them, the rabbi told me: Eran, this guy will be prime minister, but I do not know when. "
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Reasons for pride
What is the thing you are most proud of as part of the association's activities?
"Renovating a community is one of the projects I am most proud of, as it is about helping the net community. The project was done in collaboration with the Minister for Community Strengthening and Advancement, Orly Levy Abacis, and Hagai Reznik, the ministry's director general.
We voluntarily and wholeheartedly renovate urban buildings used by the community.
So far, we have renovated dozens of buildings that serve youth at risk, a home for battered women, a building that houses the homeless, a home for girls at risk, a building for children with disabilities and more. "
What is the thing that you will not do under any circumstances in your job?
"I will never fail my people, my brother in the profession. Some time ago I was contacted by the producer of the program Izat Tzadik and asked to collaborate on the program with the renovation industry. The challenge was to ask renovation contractors to bid on lowering a support page "Therefore, this is a deliberate failure of the professionals. I decided to refuse and not cooperate with an idea that might frustrate my friends."
Can the path of building contractors and renovation contractors part now?
"Like a husband and wife who sometimes, we too are in front of the contractors. Sometimes there are disagreements, but the most important thing is to find a way to resolve things together and not dismantle the package. In 2008 the Renovation Contractors Association signed a cooperation agreement with the Contractors Association. In 2010 we signed Together on a collective bargaining agreement, which received an extension from the Minister of Labor. "
A remodeling contractor seems to be a profession that might disappear from the world, with the younger generation looking for easy money and clean work.
"Renovation contracting is a profession that people will always need, and a robot will not be able to do it. Not all young people want and can go to high-tech. There are many who can take advantage of the good hands to earn a decent living. One of my dreams is to open a school for construction professionals. "The profession is a dream that can definitely take shape, if the state mobilizes and helps."
The real casualties
Renovation contractors are the real victims of the Corona crisis.
People were afraid to bring them home, so even though the construction industry was defined as essential, many of them found themselves out of work.
A survey conducted by the Association of Renovation Contractors in December 2020 among contractors who are members of the association, shows that 54% of contractors report a decrease in the volume of work during the second closure period.
39% of renovation contractors reported an adverse change in the entry of new works.
34% said that there was no significant change in the scope of their work.
47% of renovation contractors fired workers.
11.5% took workers to the IDF and have not yet returned them to work.
And what about the works that will still be put into practice?
36% of the renovations are bathroom renovations, 32% general renovations in the house and 27% small renovations and routine maintenance.
The chairman of the association, Eran Sib, explains the data: "We are witnessing a 30% increase in do-it-yourself work, following the eruption of the corona.
People prefer to try to repair and renovate themselves.
Sometimes these are dangerous actions, which without professional training must not be performed alone.
Of course, that hurts the industry. "
Produced by the Department of Special Supplements
