Blacklist bosses could be named and shamed

Details of the construction bosses who collaborated with the use of blacklists in the industry could be about to be made public, the Construction Enquirer website reported.

The decision follows a 12 month legal fight by anti-blacklist campaigners to have full records made public of the blacklist investigation which rocked the industry in March last year.

It means that managers at construction companies including Balfour Beatty, Kier and NG Bailey  could be identified, along with other details on their records and invoices.

Employment details of thousands of workers were held by an organisation called the Consulting Association, which was used by contractors to vet prospective employees. The Consulting Association and its owner Ian Kerr were successfully prosecuted last year.

Now, a trio of blacklisted construction workers have won a legal battle for the full details of a number of test cases to be revealed by the Information Commissioner’s Office. The test cases involve workers Phil Willis, P. Tattersfield and Steve Acheson.

Following the ruling by Manchester Employment Tribunal, other victims of the blacklist are expected to follow suit and bring claims for full disclosure.

A spokesman for the Blacklist Support Group told Construction Enquirer: “This is a major victory for blacklisting campaigners in the courts.

“Most of the multi-national companies involved in the Consulting Association conspiracy have frustrated all attempts to gain further documentation in this case – now the evidence will be out in the public domain for all to see.

“The un-redacted files are likely to identify the names of the actual managers that supplied the information to the centralised blacklist database.”

The court order states that the Information Commissioner’s Office shall give disclosure to all parties of the key documents. These include an un-redacted version of each of the three claimants’ Consulting Association records.

The documents open to disclosure will also include extracts from the Consulting Association database that shows the use made by each of the companies it worked with, including any accounting records.

Copies of any invoices, receipts or other documents sent to or received from each the construction companies involved will also be made available.