GMB, the union for construction workers, has written to the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development (CIPD) enquiring whether 34 Human Resources professionals named as administering the construction industry blacklist are current or past members of the organization. See notes to editors for copy of GMB letter to Mr Cheese Chief Executive of CIPD.
Blacklisting came to light when in 2009 the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) seized a Consulting Association database of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out of employment trade union and health and safety activists. 2,768 of the 3,213 people on the blacklist are not aware that their names are on the blacklist after the ICO decided not to contact them directly.
The 34 HR professionals included in the GMB letter to CIPD were named in Parliament as being the managers who operated the blacklist on a day to day basis.
Last week eight blacklisting companies (Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O'Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and VINCI PLC) went some way towards an apology and have offered to compensate the victims they blacklisted. This is an important step forward in the campaign on blacklisting.
Justin Bowden, GMB national officer said, "GMB was sitting just behind Mr Cheese in the Houses of Parliament when he said, under oath, to the Scottish Affairs Committee Inquiry into Blacklisting that the CIPD will say, if requested, whether or not a person is member of his organisation.
To assist with our own inquiries, GMB is today asking Mr Cheese if these HR professionals are current or past CIPD members.
GMB is calling for all the HR professionals who ran the blacklist as generals, colonels and lieutenants for nearly 20 years to apologise for what they did and atone by telling all they know about how it operated. Their doing so is an essential part of the clean up as they systematically violated the civil rights of their fellow citizens. For them the Nuremburg defence that they were only following orders will not wash."
Notes:
GMB letter to CIPD
Dear Mr Cheese
We are conducting our own research into the activities of The Consulting Association and blacklisting and would be grateful if you could tell us which of the following Human Resources professionals are current or past members of the CIPD:
Previous company
Name
Current position and company
Balfour Beatty
Gerry Harvey
Human Resources Development Director, Balfour Beatty Engineering Services
Balfour Beatty
Armar Johnston
Human Resources Director, Balfour Beatty Projects
Balfour Beatty
Ann Cowrie
Senior HR position, Balfour Beatty
Balfour Beatty
Vince James
Human Resources Manager, Balfour Beatty Infrastructure Services
Balfour Beatty
Carolyn Williams
Group Head of Human Resources, The Murphy Group
Balfour Kilpatrick
Michael Aird
Director of Michael Aird Consultancy Ltd, an HR, Health Safety and Training consultancy
Balfour Beatty
Paul Raby
Human Resources Director, Balfour Beatty
BAM
Paul McCreath
Human Resources Director, Kier Group
BAM
Pat Swift
Head of Human Resources, BFK, a joint venture comprising BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial and Kier
Carillion
Liz Keates
Head of Employee Relations, Carillion
Carillion
Roy Hay
Director of Offshore Personnel Services, Technip
Carillion
Dianne Hughes
Deputy Director of Human Resources, The Big Lottery Fund
Carillion
Frank Duggan
Company Secretary, Fuscha Limited
Carillion
Kevin Gorman
Vice President Human Resources, Harkand Group
Carillion
Sandy Palmer
Chairman of Ellesmere Rural Parish Council
Carillion
Dave Aspinall
Managing Director, Network Construction Services Ltd
Carillion
Roger Robinson
CEO, European Hub, Laing O'Rourke
Costain
Geoff Hughes
Director of his own management consultancy company, TIOP Consulting Ltd
Laing O'Rourke
Liz Keates
Head of Employee Relations, Carillion
Laing O'Rourke
Sylvia Smith
Payroll Director / Human Resources Director, Laing O'Rourke Group Services Ltd
Kier
Kathy Almansoor
Group Employee Relations Manager, Kier Group
Skanska
Stephen Quant
Director of his own Labour Recruitment and HR company, TIOP Consulting Ltd
Skanska
John Dickinson
Industrial Relations Manager, Skanska. Employed as a consultant
AMEC
Arnold Nestler
Group HR services director, AMEC
Sir Robert McAlpine
Callum McAlpine
Director, Sir Robert McAlpine
Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd
Lynne Day
Personnel Director, Cleveland Bridge
Shepherd Engineering Services
Lisa Stevenson
Executive Director Human Resources, Shepherd Engineering Services
Emcor
John Stoddart
Human Resources Manager, SPIE WHS
Emcor
Greg Ingleton
Group Human Resources Director, Emcor
Emcor
Sheila Knight
Director of her own Management Consultancy, Anderson Knight Associates Ltd and Visiting lecturer at the University of Reading, teaching Human Resource Management and Employment Law at Masters level
Sias Building Services
John Stoddart
Human Resources Manager, SPIE WHS
Whessoe
Valerie Bennison
HRBP for Head Office Directorates and SCS, Child Maintenance Group, Department for Work and Pensions
Morrison Construction
John Morrison
Company Secretary and Director of R R Richardson Ltd
Vinci
Alan Thorniley
Regional Human Resources Consultant at Vinci / Taylor Woodrow International, United Arab Emirates
Taylor Woodrow
Ian Leake
Walter Llewellyn
Tim Llewellyn
Director of Equestrian Agricultural Products LLP and of Special Interest Database Company Ltd, a Guernsey based Computer programming, consultancy and information service and other related activities company
We look forward to hearing from you
Yours sincerely
GMB