Union goes on warpath over building trade blacklist
TRADE union leaders in the building trade have begun a campaign to find victims of blacklisting in the industry. A blacklist was exposed in March as having been operated against construction workers with 3,000 names on it, which the Ucatt union says was being used by 44 major companies
TRADE union leaders in the building trade have begun a campaign today to find victims of blacklisting in the industry.
A blacklist was exposed in March as having been operated against construction workers with 3,000 names on it, which the Ucatt union says was being used by 44 major companies.
The Information Commissioners Office set up a telephone hotline for those who believed they had been blacklisted, who could then ask for a copy of their file.
But the union believes many 'blacklisted' workers have not been identified so far.
So it has started a poster campaign targeting construction sites across London and elsewhere in Britain with details of how workers can contact the Commissioners Office to see if they have been blacklisted.
Ucatt's General Secretary Alan Ritchie said: "The construction bosses ruined the lives of countless workers operating a blacklist for decades.
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"Everyone who was blacklisted has a right to know who did it and why. The blacklisters must no be allowed to get away with their despicable actions."
The union is seeking maximum publicity for the campaign as many of the blacklisted workers may have been forced out of the industry. The practice was not illegal, the union points out, but was often difficult to achieve financial retribution from the companies involved.
