Construction workers who were blacklisted will have more time to access their records following the direct intervention of construction union UCATT.

In March the Information Commissioner revealed that over 40 major construction companies were using the services of the Consulting Association to blacklist workers.

Since the blacklist was revealed individual construction workers have had the opportunity to contact the Information Commissioner, find out whether they had been blacklisted and receive a copy of their records. However because the information had been collected illegally the entire database was due to be destroyed this summer.

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UCATT raised concerns that many workers who were not union members or had left the industry would not have received the necessary information about the existence of the blacklist and would not know how to access their file. If the database was destroyed this summer many people would be denied the opportunity to discover if they had been blacklisted.

The Information Commissioner announced that they had accepted UCATT arguments and confirmed that the database will not be destroyed this summer. The Information Commissioner will keep the database until at least 31st March 2010 when it’s future will be reviewed.

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "I am pleased that UCATT" intervention has resulted in this commonsense decision.

"Thousands of workers had their lives ruined by the blacklisters. Many were forced to leave the industry in order to find work. It is essential that anyone who could have been blacklisted is given every opportunity to access their files and has the possibility of redress against the company(ies) that blacklisted them."

(CD/JM)