Construction union UCATT are 'bitterly disappointed' with the new anti-blacklisting regulations, and claim the measures are so weak that they will not prevent blacklisting from occurring.

Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of UCATT, said: "The Government has entirely rejected all UCATT submissions and attempts to have the regulations amended to ensure that blacklisting was stamped out. Fortunately for Lord Young blacklisting doesn’t occur in the House of Lords but ordinary construction workers are not so privileged."

UCATT have argued that the regulations were deficient as they did not make blacklisting a specific criminal offence and only prevented workers from being blacklisted for undertaking, the narrowly defined, "trade union activities". The Government has given the green light to employers to blacklist workers for undertaking unofficial industrial action, which could include stopping work due to safety fears or a refusal to undertake voluntary overtime.


The regulations also fail to grant an automatic right to compensation for any worker who discovers that they have been blacklisted. If a blacklist is discovered workers will not be automatically told that they had been blacklisted.

Mr Ritchie, added: "Cynical construction employers will recognise the weakness of the regulations and could continue to blacklist workers.

"They know that they are unlikely to get caught and if they do they will merely get a slap on the wrist. UCATT will continue to campaign to have the regulations overhauled so that they are truly effective in stamping out this despicable practice once and for all."

(CD/BMcC)