A campaign group working on behalf of workers blacklisted in the construction industry for raising health and safety concerns was among the finalists at a top human-rights awards ceremony held this week.
The Blacklist Support Group was nominated in the ‘Human Rights Campaigner of the Year’ category of the annual awards run by Liberty, the UK’s leading human-rights organisation.
The Group was set up in the wake of the Consulting Association scandal in 2009 and the discovery that some of the UK’s leading construction firms had been subscribing to a covert database containing personal information on thousands of building workers and trade-unionists.
It has campaigned tirelessly since then for justice for the affected workers and was recognised by Liberty “for its steadfast support of construction workers who have been denied their livelihoods by being put on a blacklist by employers”.
Added director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti: “Liberty is honoured to be celebrating the inspiring achievements of our nominees, every one of whom is to be commended for the real impact their work has had in safeguarding rights and liberties.
“In this climate of secret courts and Snoopers’ Charters and amidst continuing attacks on the Human Rights Act, it is more important than ever that their efforts are awarded the recognition that they so deserver.”
The ceremony took place at London’s Southbank Centre on 19 November. The eventual winner of the ‘Human Rights Campaigner of the Year’ category were the Open Rights Group and 38 Degrees, for their effective campaigning work to defend freedom of expression and civil liberties in the digital age, particularly their online campaigns against the “Snoopers’ Charter”.
