GMB accuses construction giant Carillion of “blacklisting” workers

A union is going to court to seek compensation on behalf of workers it claims were blacklisted by one of the UK’s biggest companies.

The GMB accused services giant Carillion of blacklisting hundreds of workers across the UK, saying the case was the construction industry’s equivalent of phone hacking by newspapers.

Detailing the allegations, the union published a report at its annual conference in Brighton which it said pulled back the “curtain of secrecy” to reveal the way firms like Carillion denied workers their rights to employment.

According to the report, thousands of workers were unaware that they had been blacklisted by companies.

The GMB revealed it had instructed a law firm to take legal action on behalf of its members blacklisted by Carillion.

Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, said: “This report pulls back the curtain of secrecy to give a glimpse as to the way employers like Carillion have illegally used their power and money to blacklist citizens and to deny them their rights to employment.”