GMB, the union for construction workers, has welcomed the decision by the Executive of Islington Council to accept the recommendation by its Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee not to accept bids for contracts from Carillion and 25 other construction firms until they compensate the workers they blacklisted.

Group companies to be shut out of Islington contracts until they compensate those they blacklisted are: AMEC plc, Amey Construction, Balfour Beatty plc, Bam Construction, Bam Nuttall, Al Rushaid Investment Co, Costain Group plc, Laing O'Rourke, Carillion plc, Diamond Construction & Engineering Recruitment Ltd, EMCOR Group, Hardwicke Investments Ltd, Taylor Wimpey plc, Kier Group plc, Renew Holdings plc, The Miller Group, Morgan Sindall Group plc, Galliford Try plc, NG Bailey Group Ltd, Shepherd Building Group Ltd, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska AB, Financiere SPIE, Samsung Construction and Trading, Sunley Holdings Plc, Vinci plc.

Blacklisting came to light when, in 2009, the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) seized a Consulting Association database of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out of employment trade union and health and safety activists.

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So far, 467 out of the 3,214 on the list know they are on blacklist. Several hundred of these 467 are covered by claims in the High Court. ICO planned to contact direct 1,200 after using their national insurance details to get a current address. That will leave 1,546 still to trace.

Last October, eight blacklisting companies (Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O'Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and VINCI PLC) went some way towards an apology and talks are under way on compensation to the victims they blacklisted.

On 27th November, particulars of claim were served in the High Court in the GMB legal action against Carillion and other for blacklisting GMB members. A further hearing is due in April.

The conclusion of the Islington Council report says as follows: "The Scrutiny review by the Policy and Performance Scrutiny Committee has confirmed the existence of Blacklisting and identified those companies the ICO and the House of Commons Scottish Affairs Committee found had previously engaged in Blacklisting through their membership of, and contact with, The Consulting Association.

"The recommendations in this report will mean that the council's contracting processes take proper account of participation in blacklisting activities to ensure that no organisation which participated in blacklisting and has not 'self-cleansed' is awarded a contract with the council.

"The actions to be taken by the Leader will also ensure that the concerns raised, and the best practice identified, by the Policy and Performance Scrutiny committee are brought to the attention of the Government and other London Councils."

(CD/JP)