Construction companies which blacklist workers for their involvement in union or political activities have been barred from carrying out contracts for Islington Council.
Town Hall announced this week that it has “taken decisive action” to ensure that it does not do business with companies involved in the illegal practice which has “ruined too many peoples’ lives.”
Blacklisting can mean that workers are denied jobs if they have been involved with trade unions or have acted as health and safety whistleblowers.
The existence of a secret list of over 3,200 blacklisted workers was discovered four years ago. Workers who helped complete high profile projects such as the Olympic Park and the Millennium Dome had been checked against the list. Unions insist that the practice continues today.
Islington Council will ask all potential contractors to declare that they have never blacklisted workers. Companies with a history of the illegal practice will need to prove they have stopped and made up for past wrongs.
The Council Acts
Councillor Andy Hull, Islington Council’s executive member for finance and performance, said: “Blacklisting is an immoral practice that has unfairly caused huge suffering for many workers and their families.
“We are making a stand against an unfair employment practice that has ruined too many lives and we are challenging the government to hold a public enquiry into this malpractice, which has been widespread.”
Big name construction firms including Balfour Beatty and Carillion have been guilty of blacklisting and have not yet compensated workers, according to trade union GMB.
It is understood that no current contracts with Islington Council will need to be terminated as a result of the announcement. However, the procurement board is reviewing a firm billed for future construction work in the next few weeks to see if they have adequately made up for their history of blacklisting.
GMB said that they “welcome this kind of robust governance from local authorities” because it is the “only effective guarantee that blacklisting will be stamped out, and workers who were blacklisted compensated.”
Michael Newman, solicitor at Leigh Day, a law firm fighting for compensation for workers, added: “I can only applaud Islington LBC for being entirely open with the same companies about why they might be denied public sector work. Work paid for by taxpayers should not be freely available to companies who do not have the decency to own up and clean-up for their blacklisting history.”
