Help us keep the lights on Support us
The Bristol Cable

A long overdue victory

A story of one Bristolian’s struggle against the giants of the construction industry

Comics

A story of one Bristolian’s struggle against the giants of the construction industry

Interview with Jerry: Dean Ayotte
Illustration: Will Dinski
With thanks to Phil Chamberlain

—View as a PDF—

One morning in 2009, the government’s Information Commissioner’s Office raided the premises of the Consulting Association. Inside were files on thousands of constructions workers. The files were compiled by the Consulting Association over 16 years on behalf of the biggest building companies in the industry, in collusion with parts of the police and security services.

The most common feature shared between the 3,213 workers is trade union membership. The files were used by the companies to monitor and prevent the employment of workers who they saw as troublesome to business. In fact, these workers were only exercising their rights, mostly to bargain for pay and conditions and to raise health and safety concerns.

In May 2016, after years of political and legal struggle between workers and the companies, it was announced that hundreds of blacklisted workers would be awarded financial compensation. While the extent of blacklisting is yet to be fully uncovered, due in part to the non-cooperation by the companies involved, the recent victory is a crucial step in recognising and repairing these gross breaches of workers’ rights.

08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-1 08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-2 08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-3
08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-4
08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-5

08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-6 08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-7
08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-8
08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-9
08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-10
08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-11

08-blacklisting-willdinski.com-12

To find out more put “construction blacklisting uk” in your favourite search engine.

Keep the Lights On

Investigative journalism strengthens democracy – it’s a necessity, not a luxury.

The Cable is Bristol’s independent, investigative newsroom. Owned and steered by more than 2,600 members, we produce award-winning journalism that digs deep into what’s happening in Bristol.

We are on a mission to become sustainable – will you help us get there?

Join now

What makes us different?

Comments

Post a comment

Mark if this comment is from the author of the article

By posting a comment you agree to our Comment Policy.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related content

Blacklisting in Bristol: “Keep your mouth shut and keep your head down”

From the 1966 Bristol Dockers Strike, building the M32, Cabot Circus and sweeping Bristol’s streets today, workers who campaigned for better workplaces were ‘blacklisted’. Drew...

Watch: Blacklisting in Bristol – Interview

Watch an exclusive video with Jerry Hicks blacklisted Bristol worker and Phil Chamberlain, a freelance journalist about to publish a book ‘Blacklisted’. He is also...

Join our newsletter

Get the essential stories you won’t find anywhere else

Subscribe to the Cable newsletter to get our weekly round-up direct to your inbox every Saturday

Join our newsletter

Subscribe to the Cable newsletter

Get our latest stories & essential Bristol news
sent to your inbox every Saturday morning