Hull City Council Blacklists' blacklisting construction companies!

The  city council in Hull, recently took the decision to refuse to award public contracts to the 44 construction firms who were implicated with the secretive blacklisting organisation known as the Consulting Association, which was closed down by the Information Commissioners Office, following a raid in 2009. According to the 'Daily Mirror' newspaper, the decision to refuse these company's contracts, was voted through unanimously by members of the council.

Thousands of construction workers have had their working careers wrecked after their names appeared on the illegal blacklist which was operated by the Consulting Association which was set up and operated by 44 British major construction companies, who continue to be awarded public-sector taxpayer funded contracts, despite their nefarious activities. Ian Kerr, who ran the organisation from an office in Droitwich, was fined £5000 after pleading guilty to breaching the Data Protection Act and sharing information illegally, with these companies which included household names like Carillion, and Sir Robert McAlpine construction, who are now facing legal action for "tort of unlawful conspiracy" in the High Court. Kerr, who died recently after giving evidence to the Scottish Affairs Committee who are investigating blacklisting in employment, implicated a number of leading company's and industrialists including Sir Robert McAlpine construction, (who paid his legal cost and fine after his conviction), in the blacklisting scandal.

Dave Smith, a former trade union safety representative and blacklisting victim, welcomed the decision by Hull City Council and told the newspaper:

"The major construction firms who used the blacklist, systematically breached the human rights of thousands of workers whose only crime was to raise concerns about safety or join a trade union. As profits are the only thing that blacklisting companies are interested in, perhaps losing publicly funded projects will make them own up to their responsibilities."

We understand that Salford City Council are also planning to take similar action against companies known to have been involved with the Consulting Association.