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Laing O鈥橰ourke may be forced to explain itself to MPs investigating blacklisting after the boss of Ucatt told them the contractor was not allowing the union onto its sites and had to be dragged 鈥渒icking and screaming鈥� into signing up to a new industrial agreement partly designed to stamp out the notorious practice.

Giving evidence yesterday to the Scottish Affairs committee - which has been investigating blacklisting since June 2012 - Ucatt general secretary Steve Murphy complained that the main contractor only signed up to the widely-admired industrial agreement covering the 拢16bn Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant after client EDF insisted.

The agreement, struck in the first instance between the three main construction unions and EDF, insists upon a fully directly-employed workforce and includes an 鈥榚mployment affairs unit鈥� run by EDF but including union and contractor representatives to monitor compliance with the agreement.

It also contains several anti-blacklisting provisions and last month EDF鈥檚 site construction director on the project Nigel Cann told the committee that contractors on the project would face fines or removal from the project if found to be involved in blacklisting.

Murphy described the agreement as a 鈥渂lueprint鈥� for the industry but added: 鈥淐ontractors like Laing O鈥橰ourke were kicking and screaming over this agreement.

鈥淭hey didn鈥檛 want to sign up to it鈥�they wanted a piece of the action [at Hinkley] but they didn鈥檛 want this agreement until the client EDF said 鈥榶ou can take it or leave it鈥�.

鈥淟aing O鈥橰ourke, to be fair, employs directly but when we see them across the table to discuss this agreement it鈥檚 a problem. When we try to get on their sites it鈥檚 a problem. There is something there that鈥檚 not right.鈥�

Murphy had earlier told the MPs that Ucatt had most difficulty accessing the site of Laing O鈥橰ourke鈥檚 拢167m Alder Hey hospital project in Liverpool, adding that this made it impossible to check the working rule agreement was adhered to and to check the number of union members on site.

Committee chairman Ian Davidson responded to Murphy: 鈥淲hy don鈥檛 you put something in writing about not having access.

鈥淥ne we鈥檝e got that, we will decide how to proceed. It may be that we want to write to Laing O鈥橰ourke and bring them in before us.鈥�

Murphy and three other union bosses, Kevin Coyne and Bernard McAulay from Unite the union and Phil Whitehurst, the GMB鈥檚 national construction officer, all agreed that the agreement struck at Hinkley was a 鈥渂est-practice鈥� model which should be rolled out across the industry.

Coyne said Unite was in discussion with other nuclear new build clients such as NuGen and Horizon about applying the agreement on their projects.

A Laing O鈥橰ourke spokesperson said:鈥淯nions are not barred from our sites. Where a reasonable request for access is made and within the parameters of the approach, which is agreed locally, it is granted. We totally accept and support the role of the trade union movement and the support they can provide to our employees and the Group.

鈥淯catt officials have been offered a slot within our site inductions to advertise the benefits of trade union membership and seek to recruit our employees into membership. In addition we offer a voluntary check off facility to those employees who wish to have their trade union subscriptions deducted from their weekly wage. Ucatt officials in other regions chose to take up the option to attend our project inductions, but refuse to accept this arrangement at Alder Hey.

鈥淎s with any contractual negotiation, there were points with the Hinkley C agreement that generated healthy debate. Laing O鈥橰ourke is pleased with the agreement and proud that it is being held up as a blueprint for the industry going forward.鈥�