Direct employment in construction key to stamping out blacklisting
19 May 2014 01:13 PM
The Scottish Affairs
Committee has published a further interim report on blacklisting, with the UK,
Welsh and Scottish Government responses to its previous
report.
Recommendations from previous
report
The Committee’s previous
report recommended a package of measures aimed at making reparations
for past blacklisting and eradicating it in the future,
including:
- A process of self-cleaning and
paying compensation by companies known to have taken part in blacklisting
before they can be considered for further public contracts
- Ensuring that the compensation
scheme is developed in consultation with representatives of all the affected
workers and making greater efforts to identify all those
affected
- Moving toward more direct
employment and transparent recruitment, and reducing the use of agency
workers
Committee Chair comments on the
Government's response
Ian Davidson, Chair of the
Committee, said:
“We are very disappointed
that the Government has rejected our recommendation for direct employment on
all publically funded construction projects and for transparent recruitment and
employment practices – even though they have asked us to take more
evidence.
What we have seen shows clearly
that the use of agency workers is a ‘weak spot’ in eradicating
blacklisting, and we therefore recommended that direct employment and
transparent recruitment practices should be standard for all public sector
contracts in the construction industry.
This concern has been vindicated
with the recent allegations from UCATT and Danish Television DR1 that an
international employment agency that operates in the UK has been blacklisting
employees, using a secret register to prevent workers who complain about pay or
who join a trade union getting further work.
I will be asking the Committee
to look at these new revelations with a view to further hearings. The Committee
will also shortly be reviewing the process of negotiations, between the
companies already found guilty of blacklisting and representatives of their
workforces, to ensure that both sides are giving the need for a fair and
commensurate settlement the urgency it deserves."