Police admit role in construction blacklist scandal

 sent by Trevor Hoyle (Rochdale)

THE Metropolitan Police has confirmed undercover Special Branch officers supplied information to the construction industry blacklist.

Blacklisted workers have fought tirelessly to expose wrongdoing photo

The admission follows a campaign by blacklisted workers to prove they were spied on by the police.

It comes in a letter sent by Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Richard Martin in response to a complaint made by the Blacklist Support Group to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

The letter states: “Allegation: Police, including Special Branches, supplied information that appeared on the Blacklist, funded by the country’s major construction firms, The Consulting Association and/or other agencies, in breach of the Data Protection Act 1998. 

“The Report concludes that, on the balance of probabilities, the allegation that the police or Special Branches supplied information is ‘Proven’. 

The letter goes on to explain: “Sections of the policing community throughout the UK had both overt and covert contact with external organization, including the Economic League” 

It also conformed an “improper flow of information from Special Branch to external organisations, which ultimately appeared on the Blacklist”.

The blacklist scandal has seen more than £75m in compensation paid to workers by major contractors.

Allegations of police collusion in blacklisting were first made back in 2012 but the claims were strenuously denied by the authorities.

MP John McDonnell said: “It is now abundantly clear that various arms of the state including the Police colluded in the blacklisting process.

“This is one of the hidden scandals of the abuse of civil liberties in our country that needs to be recognised fully and addressed. The people involved need to be brought to book.” 

Dave Smith, secretary of the Blacklist Support Group said: “When we first talked about police collusion in blacklisting, people thought we were conspiracy theorists.

“We were told, ‘things like that don’t happen here’. With this admission from the Met Police, our quest for the truth has been vindicated.”

“The police are supposed to detect crime, instead they infiltrated trade unions and provided intelligence to an unlawful corporate conspiracy.”

Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail, said: “This is a major breakthrough the police have finally been forced to admit what we already knew that they were knowingly and actively involved in the blacklisting of construction workers.”

http://www.constructionenquirer.com/2018/03/23/police-admit-role-in-construction-blacklist-scandal/

Dave Smith, the excellent representative for his union members, was interviewed (fairly) by Sarah Montague on Radio 4 this morning. I will put the link up later. 

******

Tony Lloyd PCC: Is there a conflict of interest?

by Les May

WHEN, following the Greater Manchester Police investigation into allegations of widespread sexual abuse at Knowl View special school, the Crown Prosecution Service decided that there was insufficient evidence to justify bringing a prosecution against anyone, Rochdale’s very own ‘loose cannon’, MP Simon Danczuk, fired off one of his usual ill considered broadsides saying ‘I believe that there has been a catalogue of failings by Greater Manchester Police during the investigation of these crimes.'  He went on to call for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPPC) to investigate the handling of the inquiry.

This attack on the police service did not go down well with the Greater Manchester Police Federation and led to its chairman Chief Inspector Ian Hanson calling upon Mr Danczuk to ‘put up or shut up’.  Danczuk of course did not have any firm evidence to back up his claims of abuse and unable to ‘put up’ he has had to ‘shut up’.

Given the seriousness both of the initial allegations and Danczuk’s claim that the inability of the CPS to bring a prosecution resulted from GMP failings, one might have expected that the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Tony Lloyd, would have issued a statement to reassure the public that Operation Jaguar had been conducted properly or, if he agreed with Danczuk, that he was going to refer the matter to the IPCC.

If you were expecting this you would be disappointed.

On 11 November I wrote to Tony Lloyd asking ‘Could we have a single and unambiguous public statement from you either that you repudiate Mr Danczuk's assertions and that you consider that the GMP investigation was thorough and carried out to the highest standards or that you agree with Mr Danczuk's assessment of the investigation and believe that GMP failed in its responsibility to carry out a thorough investigation into these allegations.’

Having received an acknowledgement of my e-mail, but no response, I wrote again on 18 November.  Today, 24 November, I have still had no response from Mr Lloyd.

Quite why Tony Lloyd has chosen to bury his head in the sand in this way and hope that this little local difficulty will go away, I do not know.  The cynical amongst you might think that it is something to do with the fact that Lloyd was once a Labour MP and Danczuk, though suspended from the Labour party, still seems to think there is chance that he will be readmitted.  So it looks like its ‘the old pals act’.  The irony of Danczuk being ‘protected’ in this way will not be lost upon those of us who remember the unsubstantiated claims in his book that Cyril Smith was ‘protected’ by the security services.

By failing to repudiate Danczuk’s claim of police ‘failings’ Lloyd gives credence both to the initial allegations and to the notion that GMP have not done their job properly.  But there is another aspect of this which is important and should not be overlooked.

Police and Crime Commissioner is an elected office.  Those who hold it can be expected to behave in an even handed and impartial manner.  Even giving the appearance of acting in acting in a way that puts party allegiance before public duty, will bring the whole system of elected mayors and PCCs into disrepute.  It’s time for Tony Lloyd to ‘put up’ or ‘stand down’.  I for one have no faith in Tony Lloyd either as PCC or acting mayor.  And I don’t think I’m alone.

Call for Public Inquiry into Police Spies

BLACKLIST campaigners have called for the Public Inquiry into undercover police spying on the the Lawrence family to be given a wide enough remit to investigate police collusion with blacklisting. Despite documentary evidence proving beyond doubt that undercover police officers were linked to blacklisting there was no mention of this in the statement made by Theresa May to MPs. 
 

On the very same day that the Home Secretary announced a public inquiry into the activity of Special Demonstration Squad officers spying on the Lawrence family, Operation Herne has published its 2nd report into the actions of undercover police officers. Blacklist victims condemned as a whitewash the non-findings of the police report into police collusion in the blacklist conspiracy, which describes police discussions with blacklisting organisations as driven by 'civic duty'.

Blacklist Support Group statement: 

'The Operation Herne report demonstrates exactly why victims of undercover police surveillance have no faith in the police investigating themselves. There is already irrefutable evidence in the public domain that officers from undercover police units actually attended secret Consulting Association blacklist meetings, yet this is not even mentioned by Herne. Undercover Special Demonstration Squad officers are known to have posed as construction workers and infiltrated picket lines and union meetings. Information on some blacklist files could only have come from the police or the security services. In relation to police collusion in blacklisting, the Operation Herne 2nd Report is a complete whitewash.

 

'Only a fully independent public inquiry into the full extent of police links with corporate spying will expose the undemocratic shady practices. Any public inquiry should not be narrowly focused on the Lawrence case but should encompass the sexual relationships with female activists, Hillsborough, environmental and anti-racist campaigners, blacklisting and police collusion with big business.

 

'There are secret political police in the UK - they are called Special Branch, MI5 and GCHQ. They spy on their own citizens who are involved in perfectly lawful political campaigning. We will continue to fight until we achieve justice'. 

www.derbyshire.police.uk/Documents/About-Us/Herne/Operation-Herne---Report-2---Allegations-of-Peter-Francis.pdf

Allegation - SDS supplied intelligence to ‘The Blacklist’

On 18 August 2013 in The Guardian, Peter Francis claimed that he gathered intelligence on Trade Union Activists and passed it to a ‘black listing agency’. He claimed that he provided information regarding two specific individuals and that their details subsequently appeared on the ‘list’.

The first notification received by the MPS into allegations of blacklisting stem from a complaint from Christian Khan Solicitors in November 2012. This was made on behalf of the Blacklist Support Group. They allege that the MPS, Special Branch (including SDS) were complicit in the supply of information to the Consulting Association and similar organisations. They asserted that this practice led to people being unable to obtain employment. The allegation was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and initially they supervised the investigation. Between May and June 2013, they reviewed this decision and directed a local investigation, returning it to force to investigate.

The ‘Blacklist’ maintained at that time by a commercial enterprise known as The Consulting Association was a record of individuals believed to have disruptive or subversive stance that could adversely affect the workplace. There is no dispute that individuals named by Peter Francis appear on the ‘blacklist’. However, Peter Francis claims to have been deployed between 1993 and 1997. The Consulting Association record is dated from 1999, two (2) years after Peter Francis’ claimed deployment ceased.

There is no available evidence to suggest that SDS exchanged any information with either the Economic League or the Consulting Association. Twenty (20) test records have been highlighted by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as being the most likely to be the result of police information. These records have been investigated, revealing numerous alternative sources for information. A Special Branch officer stated in interview ‘The flow of information was purely one way’ the Economic League were a ‘conduit of information’ driven by their sense of ‘civic duty’.
The Economic League was treated as a source of information. It was not Special Branch policy to pass information to them or any other external organisation. There is no evidence that any information regarding the two individuals was ever shared with the Consulting Association.

Allegation - The SDS supplied intelligence to ‘The Blacklist’

20.1 Blacklisting was the recording and management of a list of people identified due to their political stance or perceived disruptive/subversive activity within the workplace. This was maintained by a commercial enterprise known as the Economic League (EL), which closed in 1993. The Consulting Association (CA) was started by a former employee of Economic League’s Services Group around this time. Both organisations were funded and supplied with information by subscribing member companies, and checked their records in order to make informed decisions regarding suitability for employment.

On 18 August 2013 in The Guardian, Peter Francis claimed that he gathered intelligence on Trade Union Activists and passed it to a ‘black listing agency’. He claimed that he provided information regarding two specific individuals and that their details subsequently appeared on the ‘list’.
The first notification received by the MPS into allegations of blacklisting stem from a complaint from Christian Khan Solicitors in November 2012. This was made on behalf of the Blacklist Support Group. They allege that the MPS and Special Branch (including SDS) were complicit in the supply of information to the Consulting Association and similar organisations. They asserted that this practice led to people being unable to obtain employment. In February 2013 the allegation was referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) who initially elected to supervise the investigation. Between May and June 2013, they reviewed this decision and directed a local investigation, returning it to force to investigate.

Open source material was recovered and a number of key documents identified. It was established that the Scottish Affairs Select Committee (SASC) had previously held an investigation into the wider issue of blacklisting, in which many of the key stakeholders had given evidence. All of their discussions were published on the UK Parliamentary website.

In sworn testimony to SASC, a member of the Consulting Association stated that his organisation had no link to the police, although he admitted that its predecessor the Economic League did. The Economic League link was confirmed by a former head of intelligence for the group, who stated that he met various police officers on a relatively regular basis, but that any such discussions would not routinely involve individuals.

Much of the media coverage has focused on a statement from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), in which it was claimed that much of the information could only have come from the police and security service. On request, the ICO have provided a copy of the seized blacklist and corresponding personal records.

There is no dispute that the individuasl named by Peter Francis appear on the blacklist. However, Peter Francis claims to have been deployed between 1993 and 1997. The CA record is dated from 1999, two (2) years after Peter Francis alleged deployment ceased.

SO15 records show one documented instance of the exchange of information between Special Branch and Economic League, dating from 1978. This related to a police enquiry about terrorism offences. The officer-in-the-case inadvertently disclosed the terrorism link to emphasise the importance of the inquiry. The Economic League recorded this disclosure as fact, leading to the individual being refused work at a later stage. A complaint was made which was investigated and subsequently corrected. This complaint was brought to the attention of both Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations and the Home Office. This incident was widely reported in 1981, subject to newspaper reports and a Panorama programme.

On 3 November 1978, Special Branch issued a Memorandum to all officers in relation to the disclosure of information and how seriously they regarded it. It reiterated Metropolitan Police Standing Orders, Paragraph 13 that prohibited searches of Special Branch on behalf of commercial organisations. It also documented that such ‘improper’ disclosure constituted a disciplinary offence. This memo came directly from the then Head of Special Branch.

20.2 Conclusions Operation Herne has established that the individuals identified by Peter Francis appear on the blacklist. However, Peter Francis claims to have been deployed between 1993 and 1997. The CA record is dated from 1999, two (2) years after Peter Francis alleged deployment ceased.

There is no evidence to suggest that SDS exchanged any information with either the Economic League or the Consulting Association. Twenty (20) test records have been highlighted by the ICO as being the most likely to be the result of police information. These records have been investigated, revealing numerous alternative sources for information. A Special Branch officer has stated in interview that, ‘The flow of information was purely one way’ the Economic League were a ‘conduit of information’ driven by their sense of ‘civic duty’. The Economic League was treated as a source of information. It was not Special Branch policy to pass information to them or any other external organisation. There is no evidence that any information reported by SDS operatives was ever shared with the Consulting Association.

The investigation into this matter continues and will be subject of reporting to both the complainants and the Commissioner. 

 

Blacklist Support Group

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlCa8yQmZ70

blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/

Police watchdog says Special Branch colluded in blacklisting!

               Blacklisted worker Frank Morris

We are publishing in full the latest mailing for the Blacklist Support Group.


1. Blacklist Compensation Scheme

No compensation scheme can be signed off without the agreement of blacklisted workers. And our only concern is to get the best possible settlement for blacklisted workers and fight to fully expose the conspiracy. Without our agreement, there will be no deal. And BSG will not agree to anything without fully consulting every blacklisted worker involved with the campaign. Despite announcing the proposals in the press, no-one from the compensation scheme has so far contacted the Blacklist Support Group to discuss the issue but we will be part of the talks soon enough. From the discussions that have taken place, the following items have been raised:

• Every individual on the blacklist should be compensated regardless of dates or circumstances
• If a blacklisted worker has died - then their widows or children should be entitled to compensation
• No gagging clause - we still want a public inquiry
• A matrix should be used to calculate compensation based upon multiple factors (rather than a schedule of financial loss, which is virtually impossible to calculate over so many years)
• Guaranteed jobs for blacklisted workers on major projects

This is our starting point. If after negotiations, no deal is good enough, then we will be going back to the High Court.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24470436

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/blacklisting-victims-given-recourse-compensation-2359250

http://www.channel4.com/news/construction-blacklist-fund-compensation-secret-list

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/10/construction-firms-compensate-workers-blacklist

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-4070-Blacklisting-firms-forced-to-pay-compensation#.Ulhiuee9KSO

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3891485.ece

2. Police Collusion

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/12/police-blacklist-construction-workers-watchdog

http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-4c95-Blacklisted-by-the-state#.Ul5FGzhwa70

3. Blacklist debate in parliament today

Glenda Jackson MP managed to secure an adjournment debate and got one and a half hours debate on the floor of the House of Commons. Multiple calls for a public inquiry. Conservative Stephen McPartland MP said he will help set up a cross party group of MPs on the issue.

Full debate: http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Player.aspx?meetingId=13845

http://www.ucatt.org.uk/mps-tell-blacklisters-there-no-place-hide

4. Crossrail Blacklist Victory Party

That's the way to celebrate a victory. Absolute banging night out. People came from as far away as USA, Scotland, Wales, Liverpool, Manchester to have a dance and raise a glass to Frank Morris.

Absolute bloody hero. Great work Frank Morris - thanks for the party

http://www.flickr.com/photos/60718029@N06/sets/72157636500836943/

5. Mark Thomas

TV comedian and activist Mark Thomas has just found out he is also on the blacklist. Get that man a Blacklisted T-shirt fast

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/comedian-mark-thomas-shocked-at-his-inclusion-on-construction-industry-blacklist-8878508.html

6.Steve Acheson Appeal Fund - this is to save Steve's home

Please send those donations to Fiddlers FERRY HARDSHIP FUND, C/O Warrington Trades Council, 6 Red Gables, Pepper Street, WA4 4SB. Many thanks.

-- Blacklist Support Group

video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlCa8yQmZ70

blog: www.hazards.org/blacklistblog

facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/blacklistSG/