Eight of Britain’s largest construction companies, including Laing O’Rourke, have apologised for blacklisting more than 3,000 workers, including hundreds of Irish, for up to 40 years and offered compensation.
The companies – Sir Robert McAlpine, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O'Rourke, Skanska UK and VINCI – are among 10 facing legal action in the High Court in London.
Shadowy organisation
Over 40 companies used the services of a shadowy organisation called the Consulting Association from the 1970s, which kept details of workers' trade union history, involvement in disputes and opinions about health and safety.
Some of the information received about Irish workers during the 1970s and 1980s by the association’s head, Ian Kerr, came from British police, or the intelligence services, the House of Commons’ Scottish Affairs Committee was told during one inquiry. One hundred workers, represented by London solicitors Guney, Clark and Ryan, four years ago began a legal action against McAlpines, who subsequently added the other companies to the defendants’ list. Meanwhile, the GMB union is representing about 70 men. In both claims, the men argue that their lives were destroyed by the discrimination suffered. Most were unable to get work, some lost their homes, others suffered broken marriages, depression, and, or alcoholism.
In a statement, the companies apologised for their “involvement” with the Consulting Association and offered to set up a compensation scheme that would be “as simple as possible for any worker with a legitimate claim to access compensation”.
Urging other companies who used Mr Kerr's services to sign up, the eight said: "The companies involved in the scheme would support the introduction of a code of conduct to ensure nothing like this can happen within the construction industry again." The decision by the companies to apologise and offer compensation was broken to three unions, the GMB, UCATT and Unite on Monday, when they were contacted by a former employment conciliation official who has been asked to run the compensation scheme.
On blacklist
The names of 3,213 people were found on a blacklist when Mr Kerr's offices were raided by the UK Information Commissioner in 2009 – but just 15 per cent of those named have yet to be told by the information commissioner that they appeared on it.
Last night, Guney, Clark and Ryan solicitor, the Athy-born Liam Dunne “cautiously” welcomed the companies move, but he expressed “reservations” about the involvement of certain unions in any compensation scheme.
“Evidence suggests that information supplied by certain union officials was used to prevent workers earning a living in their trade. This gives rise to an unambiguous conflict of interests,” he declared.
Many of the Irish discrimination victims – who may often have returned to Ireland – are unaware that they appeared on the list. All are now asked to contact the solicitors, the unions, or the ICO directly.
