Sir Robert McAlpine to face legal action by blacklisted builders

Workers who are blacklisted by the construction giant, Sir Robert McAlpine, are making a multimillion pound claim as they believe that the list is preventing them from being employed on major construction contracts.

The list which it is reported contains contains 3,400 workers, is used to identify workers who it is believed could be troublemakers. The database is alleged to include information on trade union membership, political views and relationships. Some of the workers who believe that they are mentioned on the database are taking legal action as they claim that they are victims of an unlawful conspiracy to prevent them earning a living.

Sir Robert McAlpine has been involved in some of the largest construction contracts of recent years including the building of the Olympic Stadium and the widening of the M1 and M11 motorways. The workers who believe that they are included on the blacklist claim to have missed out on working on such projects due to the information collected by the Consulting Association, an organisation set up by some of the biggest construction companies.

Sean Curran, a solicitor who represents some of the workers said: “We have seen evidence that suggests our clients were the subjects of unwarranted blacklisting within the UK construction industry. We can confirm that formal legal proceedings have been issued on behalf of those workers who believe that they suffered as a consequence of their inclusion on the Consulting Association database. It remains our intention to offer all necessary legal support to those who feel that their ability to obtain employment has been affected by what has taken place.”

This entry was posted on Friday 10th August, 2012. Edit this entry.