Unite the Union has today launched a new blacklisting claim at the High Court. This time around they have named key individuals at the centre of The Consulting Association scandal as defendants including; Cullum McAlpine, David Cochrane (from Sir Robert McAlpine), Danny O’Sullivan (Kier) and Stephen Quant (Skanska), with the intention that these senior executives who orchestrated the conspiracy will be forced to account for their actions.
Following the settlement of the original High Court litigation in 2016, blacklisted workers have repeatedly stated that ‘compensation is not the same as justice’ and called for the union to use every means possible to ensure that directors of multi-national construction companies behind blacklisting were brought before a court. Blacklist Support Group fully endorses the new litigation and hopes that given that the costs risks have now been substantially reduced, this time around the guilty parties will be forced into a full trial. The sooner the better.
Roy Bentham, secretary Blacklist Support Group commented: “Blacklisting of union members and those prepared to stand up for basic legal entitlements is not just a breach of the law it is a violation of human rights. It is not just in the construction industry: blacklisting takes place in the NHS, in the North Sea and increasingly in the so-called gig economy where the lack of employment rights means the bosses continue to get away with it. This epidemic of victimization needs to be sorted out once and for all”.
The announcement comes in the same week as the Day of Action on Blacklisting that will see protests and lobbies of parliament across the UK.
Day of Action – Wed 6th December – please show solidarity at whichever protest you can get along to:
London
09:00 – Skanska office, Goswell Road, Barbican, London
12:00 – Westminster lobby of parliament and rally
Edingbugh
9:30 – Meet at Unite Edinburgh Office
10:00 – Protest at St James Centre
12:00 – Lobby the Scottish Parliament
Leeds
08:00 – 10:00 City Square, Leeds, LS1 2, United Kingdom
Brighton
10am – Balfour Beatty, Sussex University, Brighton, BN1 9RH
Birmingham
12.00 – McAlpine site Exchange Square, Urban Village Site, Gate 4, Dale End, B4 7LN
Durham
17:00 – McAlpine site, Durham city centre (Milburngate shopping centre).
Video of the previous Day of Action on Blacklisting in 2013:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avH1GhXRwaI&feature=youtu.be
Press coverage of the new High Court claim:
http://www.unitetheunion.org/news/unite-to-bring-leading-blacklisters-to-court/
And finally, BSG would like to send our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Tommy Finn R.I.P.
Former chair of the Construction Safety Campaign, convenor of Hackney DLO in the 1990s, blacklisted and spied on by undercover police for standing up for the rights of his fellow workers.
http://irishpost.co.uk/champion-for-irish-construction-workers-in-britain-tommy-finn-dies/
Blacklist Support Group
book: http://newint.org/books/politics/blacklisted-secret-war/
video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eNcgrNs6pB8
facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/
blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog