Taking Out The Trash

Blacklisting: the movie

Blacklist Support Group - TUC Congress 2010 Fringe Meeting

BLACKLISTED - FILM PREMIER

Blacklisting of trade unionists in the building industry - the struggle for justice continues

Speakers:

John McDonnell MP

Professor Keith Ewing

Date: Monday 13th September 2010

Time: 6:30pm start

Venue:

The Methodist Central Hall

Oldham Street

Manchester

M1 1JQ

Fringe Title: BLACKLISTED - FILM PREMIER

Blacklisting of trade unionists in the building industry - the struggle for justice continues

Brief Description of meeting:

BLACKLISTED: first ever public showing of new documentary (15 mins) about the illegal Consulting Association blacklist containing personal sensitive details on 3213 building workers who had raised concerns about safety or unpaid wages. The secret data-base used by multi-national construction firms to prevent trade union activists gaining work was only discovered following a raid in 2009. The blacklist appears to be a continuation of a vindictive attitude by building companies towards trade unions going back many decades. The film shares first hand experience from 12 blacklisted workers (including Ricky Tomlinson) about their fight for justice.

After the film, blacklisted workers, the film Director, MPs and human rights experts will take questions and discuss the ongoing campaign against blacklisting and the implications for all trade unions today.

Speakers:

John McDonnell MP

Professor Keith Ewing

(Author of Ruined Lives: Blacklisting in the Construction industry - Institute of Employment Rights)

Shaun Dey (Film Director - Reel News)

UCATT Executive Council member (invited)

plus many Blacklisted building workers from UNITE and UCATT

Chair

Steve Acheson

(Blacklisted Electrician and UNITE Manchester Contracting Branch Secretary) 

Employment tribunal set for blacklisted electrician

The Morning Star reports that a London electrician has wno the right to take his case to an employment tribunal.

An electrician blacklisted from the construction industry won the right yesterday to take his case to a full tribunal.

This week at a preliminary tribunal in east London Steve Kelly won the right to bring a case to full tribunal against electrical sub-contractors ECS.

Mr Kelly argues that he was employed by the firm in 2007 but was sacked within days, allegedly for poor work.

However after obtaining his file from the ICO he discovered documentation which he believes shows that either the firm, which was a sub-contractor for Sir Robert McAlpine, or McAlpine's itself dismissed him due to his trade union activities.

Both firms have denied the allegation, although McAlpine's is known to have subscribed to Kerr's blacklist.

While Kelly's case isn't scheduled to take place until next year dozens more cases hould be heard before then in Manchester.

Prison labour

I appeared on Bristol Community FM talking about prison labour (see here for more on this topic). You can listen to the interview below 

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