18 December 2014

The cases of the blacklisted construction workers seeking compensation will resume in court today.

Blacklisting came to light when the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) seized a consulting association database of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists during its investigation into blacklisting in the construction industry. The database was used by 44 companies to vet new recruits for trade unionism and activism.

The 571 blacklisted workers are represented by a Lead Counsel including Chair of the Institute of Employment Rights John Hendy QC.

According to GMB, 1,724 of the 3,213 know they are on the blacklist. 467 were self-identified, or identified by their unions, and the ICO contacted a further 1,257. GMB is running a campaign to name and shame those who ran the blacklist.

Justin Bowden, GMB national officer said: “These so-called HR Professionals who ran the blacklists for the construction companies knew exactly what they were doing and they need to either apologise, come clean and say what they did, or get used to accounting in public for the damage they did to those they blacklisted and their families, especially with the Public Inquiry Labour has pledged after the next election. Just as the construction companies who paid their wages are being called to account in parliament, the courts and the media, every single one of these secret blacklisters will have their role dissected in public.”

For more about blacklisting, the IER has a range of resources available here