黑洞社区

Negotiations between blacklisting campaigners and representatives of the industry鈥檚 proposed compensation scheme have ended without agreement.

Trade union leaders and members of the Blacklist Support Group met yesterday with backers of the Construction Workers Compensation Scheme (CWCS), which represents eight major contractors that used the services of notorious blacklisting firm the Consulting Association - Sir Robert McAlpine, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O鈥橰ourke, Skanska and Vinci.

Following the meeting however, Blacklist Support Group secretary Dave Smith suggested that the two sides were far from reaching any agreement.

鈥淛ust finished first set of talks about blacklisting compensation scheme,鈥� Smith wrote on last night. 鈥淔irms鈥� offer was underwhelming. Our response was blunt.鈥�

Smith added that the meeting included 15 people 鈥渋ncluding lots of lawyers鈥�.

The Blacklist Support Group has been contacted for further comment.

When it launched in October, a statement from the CWCS said it was a genuine attempt to resolve the issue and would make it as 鈥渟imple as possible鈥� for those with legitimate claims to be compensated.

However, the scheme鈥檚 suggestion that some blacklisted individuals should receive just 拢1,000 and its demand that workers withdraw existing claims as a condition of entering the scheme have been fiercely resisted by blacklist campaigners.

Back in November, Ucatt general secretary Steve Murphy described the scheme as a 鈥渢ravesty of justice鈥� and the same month, a letter sent to the scheme鈥檚 representatives by trade unions and the Blacklist Support Group argued that the scheme鈥檚 key proposals did not go far enough given the 鈥測ears of frustration that our blacklisted members have endured鈥�.

A CWCS spokesperson said: 鈥淭he members of The Construction Workers Compensation Scheme are pleased that meetings with workers鈥� representatives are underway鈥�engagement with workers鈥� representatives is designed to ensure the scheme is also as fair and effective as possible for their members.

鈥淲e are discussing the potential terms of the scheme, the administration process and the development of a code of conduct; however, we believe that in the interest of maintaining an open and on-going dialogue, the detail of the discussions should be confidential at the moment and we will not be commenting at this time.

鈥淲e are approaching these meetings in a positive manner and hope to reach a mutually agreeable conclusion as quickly as possible so that we are able to open the scheme up to applicants in early 2014.鈥�