Eight companies in the construction industry have announced a proposal for an industry-funded compensation scheme for workers who were blacklisted from working on building sites.
The blacklist was uncovered following a raid by the Information Commissioner’s Office in 2009. It found that dozens of construction firms had been checking potential employees against a blacklist, which contained details of about 3,200 workers.
The list was held by a company called The Consulting Association (TCA), and while most of the names on the list were members of unions, some had simply raised health and safety concerns on sites.
In a statement, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O’Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and Vinci, said they all apologise for their involvement with TCA and the impact its database may have had on any individual construction worker.
The companies have invited workers’ representatives to enter into a period of engagement to ensure that the proposed terms of the scheme are fair and effective.
Unite has welcomed the move, but is calling on the remaining 36 firms to commit to joining the scheme.
Gail Cartmail, Unite assistant general secretary, said: “The fact that only eight of the 44 construction firms involved in blacklisting have committed to action is not good enough. The remaining 36 firms cannot be allowed to shirk their responsibilities to workers who they cruelly blacklisted. These firms must commit to joining the scheme without delay.”
The Blacklist Support Group has said that it looks forward to participating in the negotiations about the details of the scheme, however it has branded the move “cynical” adding, “it is no coincidence that all of the companies signed up to Blacklisting Compensations Scheme are named defendants in the High Court claim”.
Cartmail added: “It must now be a priority to get blacklisted workers back into work. Unite is calling on contractors to employ, and where relevant, support the up-skilling of blacklisted workers. Many of these workers have spent years out of work as a result of being blacklisted. Employers have a moral duty to give them back the jobs that were wrongly taken away from them.”
Balfour Beatty said in a statement: “The companies involved in the scheme would support the introduction of a code of conduct to ensure nothing like this can happen within the construction industry again.”
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Please could you tell me how a person could find out if their name was held on the blacklist?
Thank you.
Hi M Barnes,
The Information Commissioner’s Office should be able to help you with that. Here’s a link to their website: http://www.ico.org.uk/news/current_topics/consulting_association
Thanks.