Today saw publication of the interim parliamentary report on blacklisting by the Scottish Select Affairs Committee. In its statement released today, the committee says that the major construction firms that established and funded a systematic blacklist of construction industry workers appear to be continuing to avoid taking full responsibility for their actions.
The report is utterly damning, and the committee says that while the blacklist was not initially illegal, it was always morally indefensible, and the companies involved continued to use it after it had become illegal. The companies involved included some of the biggest names in construction but also many smaller firms. The organisation set up to create, maintain and operate the blacklist – the Consulting Association (TCA) – appears to have been largely established by Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, which also provided TCA’s Chairmen for eight of its 16 years of operation. Other major subscribers included Carillion, Skanska and Balfour Beatty. Continue reading
The blacklisted workers’ case against McAlpine will soon begin in the High Court. But even before that we need a commitment that a Labour Government will institute a public inquiry into the blacklisting scandal, arguably the worst human rights abuse against workers since the war which robbed thousands of them of a job for 20 or more years. This was the subject of an excellent Opposition Day debate in the House initiated by Chuka Umunna a few months ago, but it does need to be followed through.
The construction and services giant Carillion received a blow yesterday at the Employment Appeal Tribunal when Mr Justice Singh found that the case of blacklisted UCATT safety rep, Dave Smith, raised questions of wide public significance and therefore allowed an appeal in a two day contested hearing probably in spring or early summer. Frank Morris, another blacklisted worker, has his first day in court at London central Employment Tribunal later today
