Vince Cable asked to intervene in blacklisting scandal
Unite, Britain's biggest union, has welcomed the Scottish Affairs committee's request to business secretary Vince Cable to undertake an investigation into blacklisting as promised to parliament.
Unite congratulates the Scottish Affairs committee for not turning its face away from Unite's compelling evidence that blacklisting is a contemporary practice in the UK's construction industry.
The committee's decision to request that the business secretary undertakes a thorough investigation is a result of evidence given by Unite and will give hope to many thousands of construction workers who have suffered blacklisting at the hands of unrepentant employers.
Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said:
“The Scottish Affairs committee is doing fantastic work to uncover injustices being perpetrated against workers who only wanted to support their fellow colleagues at work or who raised health and safety concerns in one of Britain's most dangerous industries.
“We believe that there is compelling evidence that blacklisting is taking place here and now in UK PLC.
“We urge the business secretary to agree to the committee's request to undertake a thorough investigation. It is unacceptable that contractors working on high profile projects should be allowed to get away with these activities without intervention from the government.
“An investigation by the government would be a significant milestone for the victims' campaign for justice – we urge Vince Cable to act without delay and respond with a Leveson style inquiry.”
Ian Davidson, MP, chair of the Scottish Affairs committee wrote to Vince Cable requesting a thorough investigation on 19 July.
