Dundee Blacklist demonstration demands action

150 construction workers, their families and supporters took part in an anti-blacklisting demonstration in Dundee on Saturday 9th March. Dundee was chosen for the protest partly because construction giant McAlpine’s, a prominent collaborator with blacklisting, is a major contractor on the Dundee waterfront project. But also because of the long running campaign by local retired electricians Francie Graham and Stewart Merchant, who suffered as a result of the policy of refusing to employ trade union activists in the construction industry.

Workers came from across Scotland and as far afield as Manchester. Len McLuskey, Unite general secretary also sent a message of support to the rally.

Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd helped fund the Consulting Association and its predecessor the Economic League. The CA were private investigators who drew up lists of over 3,000 workers in the construction industry who were deemed, as one blacklisted worker described it, as NAAP – Not At Any Price to be employed.

Not only were workers put on the blacklist for trade union and left wing activity, but also for raising health and safety issues in one of the most dangerous industries in the world. This has had a devastating impact on the lives of the workers and their families.

At least 20 construction companies used the blacklist, including McAlpine’s. As Jim McGovern Labour MP, who sits on the Scottish Affairs select committee who are taking evidence on the blacklisting issue, commented on Saturday: “during the 1950’s communist witchhunts in the US at least McCarthy faced the people he was persecuting, but McAlpinism is more shady and sinister.”

The work of trade union activists and the Blacklist Support Group has played a key role in helping to expose the extent of the criminal actions of the construction giants. As well as demanding a full public inquiry, they are also calling for no public contracts should go to firms named as helping to operate the blacklist.

Neil Findlay, a left Labour MSP pointed out that from 2007 all the big players in the construction industry in Scotland have been awarded public sector contracts, and they all used the Consulting Association.

He correctly called for no more public money to go to companies that have blacklisted workers. And is proposing to amend the Procurement Bill in the Scottish Parliament, on this issue if there are not guarantees on this.

It’s a scandal that after uncovering 16 years’ worth of criminal activity by the construction companies, only one company has been fined £5,000 for a breach of data protection.  

Now the pressure on the SNP government and Labour and SNP councils has to be stepped up. There can be no public contracts given to firms who are now proved as collaborating on the blacklist. The trade unions also need to ensure a major recruitment drive to strengthen the power of the organised working class in the construction industry.

Alongside this the unions should set-up registered lists of unemployed construction workers and campaign for employers to use these lists for hiring.

Saturday’s demonstration was the start of a series of blacklisting protests to demand justice and ensure that there are no more vic ims of the profit-hungry multinationals greed.