Unite protest against blacklisting

Unite the Union held protests across the country on Wednesday against the “sinister practice” of blacklisting workers, carried out by the Consulting Association (TCA).

Construction workers have had their details stored on secret files by TCA for things like trade union membership, or even being vocal about health and safety issues on sites.

Being on the blacklist has meant workers being met with significant hardship when trying to find work.

It has “destroyed people’s livelihoods”, said Unite members protesting at Balfour Beatty’s construction site at the University Of Sussex. Local students joined the protest in solidarity with the affected workers.

TCA was built on a longstanding history of blacklisting practices with files being kept for over 50 years, and supported by major construction companies such as Balfour Beatty, AMEC and Sir Robert McAlpine.

Unite is calling for a full public inquiry into blacklisting, new laws to make blacklisting a criminal offence, and public procurement rules to prevent blacklisting companies from bidding for public sector contracts.

Connor Rosoman, University of Sussex Socialist Students