UCATT welcomes Government commitment to stamp out construction blacklists
May 1st 2009

Construction union UCATT has welcomed a statement from Harriet Harman Deputy Leader of the Labour Party that the Government is committed to making blacklists illegal.

Ms Harman has pledged to work with UCATT and the information commissioner to ensure that these “scurrilous activities” are ended.

UCATT says its members have long feared that blacklisting took place in the construction industry. This was proved to be the case last month, when the Information Commissioner revealed that a company the Consulting Association had files on over 3,000 construction workers. Over 40 construction companies, including the majority of major names in the industry were clients of the Consulting Association. It is believed that health and safety representatives have been a particular target of blacklisters.

Many safety representatives have reported being laid off or finding it difficult to secure work after highlighting unsafe sites and dangerous working practices. It is feared that this has impacted on site safety. Last year 72 workers were led on construction sites.

More articles from UCATT: