黑洞社区

The director of the UK Contractors鈥� Group Stephen Ratcliffe has been told by a parliamentary committee investigating blacklisting that his evidence 鈥渞eflected badly鈥� on the industry鈥�.

In an hour and a half long session, Ratcliffe was grilled by MPs about his knowledge of blacklisting and the UKCG鈥檚 reaction to the scandal as part of the committee鈥檚 ongoing inquiry into the blacklisting of construction workers.

Two MPs on the Scottish Affairs Committee accused Ratcliffe of being 鈥渆vasive鈥� during the session, while Simon Reevell MP, a former lawyer, said: 鈥淵ou are the most evasive and potentially dishonest witness I鈥檝e encountered at this committee and frankly in 20 years of practicing at the bar.鈥�

Chair Ian Davidson MP said he had spoken to the committee clerk to see what powers it had for potentially reprimanding Ratcliffe 鈥渋n the event that we find any of the answers we鈥檝e been given are less than the whole truth鈥�.

Davidson said in his summing up: 鈥淭his has been a session that has reflected very badly on you, on your organisation and indeed on the industry鈥�.

Ratcliffe opened his evidence by reading a statement saying that blacklisting has 鈥渄amaged the reputation of the entire UK construction sector鈥�.

He said most of the firms UKCG represents were not involved in blacklisting but said some were.

He added: 鈥淭hese companies have accepted that these actions were morally wrong and have apologised.鈥�

He said blacklisting had also damaged positive relations between UKCG and the unions.

Chairman Ian Davidson asked Ratcliffe when he learned about blacklisting and Ratcliffe replied when the press first reported it in 2009.

He later said 2009 was also the first time he鈥檇 heard of The Consulting Association (TCA), which compiled the blacklist.

Davidson reminded him he was under oath, adding: 鈥淐an you understand why I find that difficult to believe?鈥�

Ratcliffe said he wasn鈥檛 trying to mislead the committee, saying: 鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy to be one against a number of people [the committee]鈥�.

Ratcliffe was challenged on his initial claim that companies involved in the TCA had 鈥渁pologised鈥�.

When pressed, he said his basis for saying this was the committee hearings and evidence he鈥檇 seen from UKCG members, who鈥檇 given evidence, coupled with the fact he鈥檇 emailed his statement to all members in advance of the hearing and none had raised any concerns with it.

Ratcliffe then admitted that only 鈥渇ive or six鈥� of his 32 members had replied, prompting chair Davidson to question Ratcliffe鈥檚 intial apology on behalf of UKCG members, adding 鈥淚 think this is an attempt to deliberately mislead us.鈥�

Davidson accused Ratcliffe of 鈥渘egligence鈥� over blacklisting for doing 鈥渧irtually nothing in four years [since TCA came to light in 2009]鈥�.

Ratcliffe said blacklisting 鈥渉asn鈥檛 been on the agenda鈥� of the UKCG in the four years since the TCA blacklist was uncovered.

But when pressed by MPs he revealed the UKCG had had some dialogue with members about blacklisting outside of formal meetings.

He said UKCG had been contacted by the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development (CIPD), which covers the human resources profession, about setting up a 鈥渃ode of practice that might have some teeth鈥� for construction HR professionals, with a potential focus on conduct for firms working on public sector contracts.

He said any potential code of practice would be run 鈥渂y a third party鈥�, like the CIPD, and could have the powers to 鈥減roperly vet staff鈥�.

He said he had contacted UKCG members about the proposal by email.

He said he鈥檇 be 鈥渉appy鈥� to take the proposal of a no fault compensation plan to UKCG members.

Asked if unions ever raised blacklisting with him, such as Unite鈥檚 former boss George Brumwell, Ratcliffe said: 鈥淚鈥檓 pretty sure it didn鈥檛 happen [鈥�] If it did I have no recollection of it.鈥�

Ratcliffe said 鈥渁 lot鈥� of firms had been spending 鈥渁 lot of money putting in compliance practices into businesses鈥� in response to the blacklisting allegations, to ensure the practice did not happen again.

When questioned as to how he knew this, Ratcliffe initially said he had read this in 黑洞社区 magazine, but when questioned further said he was basing this on conversations he鈥檇 had with the chief executives of Kier, Bam, Balfour Beatty and Sir Robert McAlpine.

Ratcliffe said health and safety had been 鈥渢he most important issue鈥� for chief executives of its member organisations 鈥渇or the best part of a decade鈥�.

But he said evidence uncovered in the past four years suggesting workers raising health and safety concerns had been blacklisted had never come up in meetings.

He said the leadership role in UKCG lay with members rather than him and best practice was derived from members.

He rejected suggestions from MPs that UKCG should monitor or reprimand its members activities, saying 鈥淚鈥檓 not a regulator or a policeman of the industry鈥�.

He said the issue of disciplining a member for contravention of UKCG best practice 鈥� on any issue 鈥� had 鈥渘ever been discussed in meetings鈥�.

Asked to justify his 拢120,000 salary, Ratcliffe said: 鈥淵ou鈥檒l have to ask my members that鈥�.

Ratcliffe disputed that firms were motivated by profit and said he personally 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 get out of bed to work in construction鈥� for 2-3% margins鈥�.

When asked to clarify the remark, he said: 鈥淭he point I鈥檓 trying to make is it鈥檚 not a massively profitable industry.鈥�

Asked if he was 鈥渄oing a PR job on behalf of members鈥�, he said 鈥測es鈥�.