黑洞社区

London鈥檚 Crossrail project and its contractors have been accused in court of a string of serious safety breaches by a worker who claims to have been blacklisted while working on the 拢15bn project.

In an employment tribunal claim obtained by 黑洞社区, electrician Frank Morris alleges tunnelling workers, including himself, were sidelined or dismissed for raising significant safety issues on the scheme - Europe鈥檚 largest construction project.

Morris alleges this culminated in the dismissal last September of himself and 26 other workers employed by Electrical Installations Services (EIS), a labour subcontractor of Crossrail鈥檚 western tunnels contractor BFK - a joint venture comprising Bam Nuttall, Ferrovial and Kier.

The news comes as the Unite union - which is funding Morris鈥� legal action - launched a lobbying campaign against Crossrail, accusing it of neglecting workers鈥� rights and failing to properly investigate links between itself and now defunct blacklisting firm The Consulting Association.

Morris鈥� claim, which has been lodged at the Central London Employment Tribunal, is against EIS, BFK and Crossrail Ltd, and alleges that the Unite shop steward was blacklisted on the project. The claim alleges that Morris was removed from his current duties and told to work in a cabin in which he was isolated from other workers after he told BFK in July that one of Crossrail鈥檚 tunnel boring machines had been overloaded with more than 20 workers onboard - above 鈥渨hat was normally considered safe鈥�.

[Morris is] wrong to claim that he was laid off or removed from a crossrail site for raising safety concerns

Crossrail spokesperson

In addition, Morris was told by a BFK manager that he would not be allowed to investigate safety matters in future, the claim states.

The claim also alleges that fellow EIS worker Gary Garget was removed from site last August and later dismissed by BFK after he took pictures of and complained about 鈥渁 serious safety issue, in which scaffolding equipment had been dropped onto high voltage cable鈥�.

Observers believe Morris鈥� tribunal is a test case because it uses anti-blacklisting legislation introduced in 2010 to target firms that are not the claimant鈥檚 employer.

In its defence documents, Crossrail says it was not Morris鈥� employer and 鈥渄enies that it unfairly dismissed the claimant, whether as alleged or at all鈥�. It also says Morris had failed to submit his claim in the three months following his dismissal as required.

BFK declined to comment, referring all inquiries to Crossrail. According to Morris鈥� claim, Electrical Installations Services has now gone into liquidation.

A spokesperson for the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) said it has investigated a number of Crossrail safety incidents including the collapse of a hopper in Paddington last October and a cable strike incident in Holborn in December.

The spokesperson said the HSE 鈥渨ill continue to work with the client to ensure that health and safety standards are maintained to a high standard.鈥�

A Crossrail spokesperson said Morris was 鈥渨rong to claim that he was laid off or removed from a Crossrail site for raising safety concerns鈥�. The spokesperson said Morris was made redundant by EIS 鈥渁s the work EIS were carrying out to commission the first two tunnel boring machines at Westbourne Park had completed with tunnelling under way鈥�.

The case continues.