Action urged on worker blacklisting

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Unions and MPs expressed alarm after an investigation by the Information Commissioner showed that major construction firms broke data protection laws by paying for information on their employees.

Deputy information commissioner David Smith said information on around 3,000 workers was held by the Consulting Association in paper files and a card index database.

Around 40 construction companies would send the association lists of people they were considering hiring to work on building sites and would then receive details from their files over the phone, he said.

Notes about individual workers included descriptions such as "ex-shop steward, definite problems", "Irish ex-Army, bad egg", while others related to workers who had raised concerns over health and safety issues on sites, such as asbestos removal.

Mr Smith said the companies - including household names and major players in the industry - must have known that what they were doing was wrong.

Employment Relations Minister Pat McFadden said: "These practices should not be taking place and I welcome the action taken by the Information Commissioner to put a stop to it.

"Personal data should not be covertly collected, stored and sold - legislation is in place for the authorities to take action if this happens.

"The Government is committed to monitoring whether anti-union blacklisting is resurfacing as a problem in the UK and we will carefully examine any new evidence brought forward, including that collected by the Information Commissioner.

"If we see compelling evidence that blacklisting is taking place we will review whether we need to strengthen the law against it."