Members of the UK Contractors Group, currently under the spotlight over the blacklisting scandal, are being urged to participate in drawing up new guidance for employers on ethical pre-employment vetting.
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) is behind the move, which was highlighted this week at a hearing of parliament’s Scottish Affairs Committee. The committee is conducting an inquiry into blacklisting, the industry’s response and levels of compensation.
MPs on the committee this week grilled Stephen Ratcliffe, director of the UKCG, on how the organisation had responded to the revelations about the activities of The Consulting Association, the covert blacklisting operation supported by up to 44 contractors.
As part of his evidence that UKCG members involved had apologised, implemented new procedures and “moved on”, Ratcliffe told the MPs that the UKCG and CIPD had begun preliminary discussions on the new guidance.
Rob Blevin, head of external affairs at the CIPD, later told CM: “We’re looking to produce this guidance for everyone [in all industries] but bring in perspectives from the UKCG and the construction industry. We want to try and get under the whole issue of pre-employment vetting – the issue is broader than just blacklisting, there are also modern issues to do with social media.
“At one end there are CRB checks, which no one would have any qualms about, and at the other there’s covertly accessing an illegal blacklist, which clearly falls outside the law. But there’s a whole spectrum that falls between the two that we want to look at. We’re talking to a number of groups [including the CBI] to get the most up to date information.”
The guidance is due to be published in the autumn.
Blevin also confirmed that the CIPD is currently investigating a “small number” of its members who had HR roles at the companies participating in blacklisting. A CIPD investigative panel has been convened to look at what happened.
At the Scottish Affairs Committee hearing, MPs asked Ratcliffe about whether there had been any UKCG-led disciplinary action against the construction companies involved. According to Building, Ratcliffe rejected the suggestion that UKCG should monitor or reprimand its members activities, saying “I’m not a regulator or a policeman of the industry”.
He said the issue of disciplining a member for contravention of UKCG best practice had “never been discussed in meetings”.
In his summing up at the end of the session, chair Ian Davidson MP said: “This has been a session that has reflected very badly on you [Ratcliffe], on your organisation and indeed on the industry”.
