Ian
Kerr, the despicable quisling behind the construction blacklist
appeared in court today (Thursday 16th July) and was fined a measly £5,000 – small change for someone
who supplied construction companies with the blacklist data of over
3,000 construction workers to any company that wanted and charged
£3,200 a time. This information was supplied to at least 40
companies, possibly more – none of which are to face any
prosecution. Agencies soon picked up on this blacklist as well.
Some workers have suffered years of unemployment due to the blacklist.
Steve Acheson, an electrician from Manchester, has only worked 36
weeks in the last 10 years. Many others have suffered too. Their
losses could be up to six figures, yet Kerr was left off the hook.
This is the ruling class looking after their own and punishing the
working class for their lawful trade union activity.
The
unions need to defend their members better for starters. Many
blacklisted workers have hit a brick wall when looking for legal
representation. Union solicitors seem to be barking up the wrong tree
by going to employment tribunals.
There they have the cases rejected by the tribunals according to the
usual rubbish – you are out of time; you were self employed not on
PAYE; you didn’t work for the company for more than a year. No, in
fact you were sacked for organising yourself and your workmates into
a union!
What
is required are claims under the Data Protection Act through the
civil courts, and our unions should be doing this for its members
asap. Unite is proud to tell everyone that they are the country’s
biggest union with 2 million members. Well, start acting like a union
and defend blacklisted workers, and defend them properly. It’s no
good hiding under a bush and hoping this scandalous attack on rank
and file trade unionists will disappear. In the meantime it will be
down to us to put pressure on our unions to act Put motions through
your branches, and wherever workers are blacklisted down tools
immediately. Together united we will win!
