黑洞社区

Some offers of out-of-court settlements made by contractors involved in the ongoing blacklisting compensation case in the High Court have reached as high as six-figure sums, 黑洞社区 understands.

A source close to the case said six-figure sums had been offered by some of the eight contractors, known as the Macfarlanes Defendants, to victims. The Macfarlanes Defendants have not confirmed the claims; and it is not known which have made the offers.

The source said victims were being offered 鈥渆ye-watering鈥� sums, but said the amounts were considered to be 鈥渁 long way short of buying anyone out of justice鈥�.

Last week the Macfarlanes Defendants - Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O鈥橰ourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and Vinci - made a dramatic 鈥渇ull and unreserved apology鈥� and a number of admissions of guilt in a revised defence issued at the High Court.

Among the admissions made by the Macfarlanes Defendants - so called after the law firm representing them - last week was the recognition of the firms鈥� involvement in the vetting system. The system was run first through the Economic League and subsequently the Consulting Association (TCA), both now defunct.

Commenting on suggestions of out-of-court settlement offers, a spokesperson for the Macfarlanes Defendants said: 鈥淚n cases such as this, it is not unusual for defendants to make offers to settle [鈥�] we cannot confirm or deny if these have been made to any of our claimants.鈥�

Last week the Macfarlanes Defendants said they hoped the admissions contained in their revised defence would 鈥渟implify鈥� the main High Court proceedings scheduled to start in mid-2016.

The firms said they believed the admissions were 鈥渢he right thing to do鈥� and added that their Construction Workers Compensation Scheme was still operating and offered workers a 鈥渇ast and simple way of accessing compensation鈥� outside of the court proceedings.

More than 3,000 workers were named on the blacklist and consequently prevented from working in construction until TCA was raided and closed in 2009.

Gail Cartmail, assistant general secretary at union Unite, said the revised defence showed blacklisting had 鈥渂lighted two generations of construction workers鈥�.

Blacklist Support Group secretary Dave Smith said: 鈥淚n all honesty they鈥檝e just surrendered and it鈥檚 now about negotiating the terms of the surrender.鈥�

The eight firms known as the Macfarlanes Defendants represent 30 group companies and four individuals. Further defendants in the case are not covered by the admissions and the apology, the Macfarlanes Defendants said.

Those not represented by Macfarlanes in the ongoing case include Cleveland Bridge, Amec, Bam and Lendlease.

Amec said in a statement: 鈥淲e note recent developments in the matter. Amec Foster Wheeler does not operate a policy of blacklisting, nor does it discriminate in its employment policy in any way. A number of Amec entities were historically contained within the list of building and construction firms reported by the Information Commission as having subscribed to the Consulting Association. AMEC plc sold its construction business in 2007, well before the allegations surfaced, and ceased any involvement with the Consulting Association at that time.鈥�

Lendlease has declined to comment and Bam pointed 黑洞社区 to a previous statement, in which it apologised for its 鈥渓imited involvement in the TCA鈥�, adding the firm was committed to making 鈥渁ppropriate compensation arrangements鈥�. Cleveland Bridge was contacted for comment.