Construction union UCATT have welcomed the statement from Harriet Harman the Leader of the House of Commons and Deputy Leader of the Labour Party that the Government is committed to making blacklists illegal.

At Business Questions in the House of Commons in a reply to a question asked by Michael Clapham MP, Ms Harman pledged to work with UCATT and the information commissioner to ensure that these "scurrilous activities" are ended.

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "I am pleased that the Government is committed to outlawing blacklists. It will be the first step in the fight for justice for our members who have been discriminated against and denied work purely because of their trade union activities."

UCATT members have long feared that blacklisting took place in the construction industry. This was proved to be the case last week, when the Information Commissioner revealed that a company the Consulting Association had files on over 3,000 construction workers. Over 40 construction companies, including the majority of major names in the industry were clients of the Consulting Association.

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It is believed that health and safety representatives have been a particular target of blacklisters. Many safety representatives have reported being laid off or finding it difficult to secure work after highlighting unsafe sites and dangerous working practices. It is feared that this has impacted on site safety. Last year 72 workers were killed on construction sites.

The companies involved in blacklisting are employed on millions of pounds of public sector construction work, including many of the highest profile projects in the UK.

The 1999 Employment Relations Act included provisions to make blacklisting illegal but these provisions have never been enacted into law. UCATT have written to the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform demanding that blacklists are now made illegal.

The campaign for the Government to outlaw blacklisting has already won the strong support of MPs. Over 70 MPs have already signed an Early Day Motion tabled by Mr Clapham demanding that the laws on blacklisting which are already in place should be enacted immediately.

(CD/JM)