Letter to Councillor Kieran Quinn

TAMESIDE TUC ASKS QUINN TO JUSTIFY CONTRACTS

Kieran Quinn,
Leader of Tameside Council,
Council Offices,
Warrington Street,
Ashton-under-Lyne.

3rd, August 2011.

Dear Kieran Quinn,

We are aware that contracts have been awarded by Tameside MBC to the construction company Carillion. We are also aware that the Information Commissioner raided the office of the Consulting Association and confiscated documents and data in connection with the alleged blacklisting of construction workers in the British building trade: many of the workers listed in these data files were active trade unionists. It was found that Carillion was one of more than forty firms affiliated to the Consulting Association managed by a Mr. Ian Kerr in the Midland town of Droitwich. The office of the Consulting Association was then closed down at the insistence of the Information Commissioner. Mr. Kerr was later found guilty of keeping an illegal database and being without a licence for collection of such material under the Data Protection Act in Knutsford Crown Court. We understand that last Wednesday a group of local electricians, members of a branch of Unite the Union who claim to have been blacklisted, began picketing a site, Denton Community College, at which Carillion is the main contractor ... and that the Council security police arrived at the site at 8.30am at the picket last Thursday; complaining about the protester's banners with messages objecting to the blacklist.

At the last meeting of Tameside TUC concern was expressed that a Labour Council is awarding contracts to a company such as Carillion that has been named as being involved with an organisation illegally collecting data such as the Consulting Association. Tameside Trade Union Council awaits your response to these concerns and your justification for awarding contracts to Carillion?

Yours sincerely,

Brian Bamford: Secretary of Tameside TUC.

NO REPLY TO THIS LETTER HAS YET BEEN FORTHCOMING FROM COUNCILLOR KIERAN QUINN.