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hatrack

(59,592 posts)
Tue Jan 29, 2013, 08:39 PM Jan 2013

UK Construction Firms Had Blacklist Of 200+ Green Protestors, 3,000 Workers - Thanks To Police

Hundreds of environmental activists were on a secret "blacklist" used by construction firms in an attempt to disrupt high-profile protests against road building and other developments. Files on more than 200 campaigners were held alongside a list of more than 3,000 construction workers who had raised legitimate health and safety concerns or belonged to a trade union.

Last week MPs said the list had deprived thousands of people of work and driven some families to destitution. Evidence of the growing scale of the operation carried out by the Consulting Association has led to renewed calls for an official inquiry.

Chuka Umunna, the shadow business secretary, told the Guardian: "This is greatly concerning and we still don't know what the full scale of the blacklisting scandal was. In light of this new evidence, it is crucial that a full investigation of blacklisting commences."

During a debate on blacklisting in parliament last week, Umunna said more than half of the top 20 construction firms in the UK were involved. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which raided the Consulting Association in 2009, said some of the details on the list appeared to have been provided by the security services or police.

EDIT

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/jan/28/blacklist-construction-firms-environmental-protests

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