黑洞社区

The trade union Unite has called for a public enquiry into blacklisting after a Labour MP claimed two workers on Crossrail had missed out on job opportunities due to the practice.

Chuka Ummuna (pictured), the former shadow business secretary, told a Westminster debate on blacklisting today that contractors working on Crossrail had been warned off hiring subcontractors who had taken part in a demonstration at one of the rail project鈥檚 sites last year.

Speaking at a parliamentary debate on blacklisting, Umunna said he had seen emails that had allegedly passed between contractors and Crossrail鈥檚 employee relations department.

Umunna said the emails detailed 鈥渜uestionable surveillance practices鈥� that had taken place at the protest.

鈥淭wo of the workers concerned who were subject to that surveillance have since sought to obtain further employment on Crossrail. In each case they approached the job agency with regards to the vacancy; they had the skills to fill the vacancies.

鈥淗owever as soon as they relayed their name there was a delay and then they were subsequently given an excuse as to why the positions had been filled.

鈥淥ne subcontractor has actually told Unite that the consequences of him employing a Unite member would be the refusal of future work, and for obvious reasons that subcontractor does not wish to disclose their identity.鈥�

Unite said the findings proved that workers who were its members 鈥渉ave been blacklisted purely due to their union membership or for having raised safety issues鈥�.

The union called on the government 鈥渢o act decisively to end the nefarious practice of blacklisting once and for all, by barring blacklisters from public sector contracts and holding a full public inquiry into the issue鈥�.

A spokesperson for Crossrail said: 鈥淐rossrail Limited is not aware of, and has seen no evidence of, blacklisting of any kind in connection with the Crossrail project.

鈥淐rossrail seeks to maintain good relations with the trades unions and meets with them on a regular basis. In our recent meetings with Unite no such concerns have been raised with us.

鈥淚ndeed Unite has previously issued a joint statement with a Crossrail contractor noting that there has been no contravention of the blacklisting regulations on Crossrail.鈥�