The Consulting Assocation
(Updated Sept 09)
The Consulting Association was run by Ian Kerr until it was busted by the Information Commission for Data Protection crime
Ian Kerr used to work for the Economics League and the special branch (the police’ intelligence service)
The blacklist run by the Consulting Association appears to have been mostly of construction workers. Ian Kerr ran the Services Group of the Economics League which was the part dealing with construction. It seems likely that when the Economics League folded he took the Services Grouo info with him.
The Consulting Association blacklist included personal relationships, trade union activity, employment history of workers and even letters workers sent to the press
Firms using the list subscribed for a £3000 annual fee, supplied the Consulting Association with details of workers and could access details on workers for £2.20 a time.
The Consulting Association's activities came to light when Alan Wainwright, ex director of Balfour Beatty subsidiary: Haden Young, spilt the beans at his employment tribunal. He produced part of the blacklist and explained how the Consulting Association worked; “Each member company would forward to him (Mr Kerr) a list of prospective employees or agency labour workers they were considering to engage. Mr Kerr would then check names against the lists he had collated from the other member companies. Mr Kerr reported back verbally any operatives that were not to be employed or supplied by agencies.”
The comments on the database about workers include, “Ex shop-steward. Definite problems. No Go”, “do not touch!!”, “Caused IR (industrial relations) problems on that site (lazy and a trouble stirrer)”.
Some workers were included on the blacklist for raising health and safety issues. Some of the details the Information Commissioner seized show how the process worked. For example one reads, “applied to…via agency for…project. Main contact given details. Response to agency – ‘not required’. Agency will say – ‘job now filled’ as their response to above.”
Alan Wainwright says in his blog that he told the Amicus union who did jack shit about it. The SWP ran with the blacklisting story in 2006, the Guardian have also run stories. Eventually the Information Commisioner took action and raided the Consulting Association.
Despite wrecking peoples lives for years and earning £46k - £48k a year Ian Kerr was fined only £5000. Consulting Association documents seem to show it was “collectively” owned by the subscribing companies. It was managed by a chairman, chief executive and finance committee which met regularly. One industry exec has said the firms’ personnel directors gathered for annual meetings. Forty construction companies were on its books yet nobody, apart from Mr Kerr, has been prosecuted. Fourteen of the companies and subsidiaries were given 'enforcement orders', which basically just says don't do it again. The rest got off scot free. This includes the biggest users: Skanska and McAlpine. As usual, justice in the hands of the establishment stinks.
Blacklisted workers have set up their own support group, Blacklist Support Group, to highlight the involvement of the companies involved and may be looking at taking legal action against them.
The Consulting Association was run by Ian Kerr until it was busted by the Information Commission for Data Protection crime
Ian Kerr used to work for the Economics League and the special branch (the police’ intelligence service)
The blacklist run by the Consulting Association appears to have been mostly of construction workers. Ian Kerr ran the Services Group of the Economics League which was the part dealing with construction. It seems likely that when the Economics League folded he took the Services Grouo info with him.
The Consulting Association blacklist included personal relationships, trade union activity, employment history of workers and even letters workers sent to the press
Firms using the list subscribed for a £3000 annual fee, supplied the Consulting Association with details of workers and could access details on workers for £2.20 a time.
The Consulting Association's activities came to light when Alan Wainwright, ex director of Balfour Beatty subsidiary: Haden Young, spilt the beans at his employment tribunal. He produced part of the blacklist and explained how the Consulting Association worked; “Each member company would forward to him (Mr Kerr) a list of prospective employees or agency labour workers they were considering to engage. Mr Kerr would then check names against the lists he had collated from the other member companies. Mr Kerr reported back verbally any operatives that were not to be employed or supplied by agencies.”
The comments on the database about workers include, “Ex shop-steward. Definite problems. No Go”, “do not touch!!”, “Caused IR (industrial relations) problems on that site (lazy and a trouble stirrer)”.
Some workers were included on the blacklist for raising health and safety issues. Some of the details the Information Commissioner seized show how the process worked. For example one reads, “applied to…via agency for…project. Main contact given details. Response to agency – ‘not required’. Agency will say – ‘job now filled’ as their response to above.”
Alan Wainwright says in his blog that he told the Amicus union who did jack shit about it. The SWP ran with the blacklisting story in 2006, the Guardian have also run stories. Eventually the Information Commisioner took action and raided the Consulting Association.
Despite wrecking peoples lives for years and earning £46k - £48k a year Ian Kerr was fined only £5000. Consulting Association documents seem to show it was “collectively” owned by the subscribing companies. It was managed by a chairman, chief executive and finance committee which met regularly. One industry exec has said the firms’ personnel directors gathered for annual meetings. Forty construction companies were on its books yet nobody, apart from Mr Kerr, has been prosecuted. Fourteen of the companies and subsidiaries were given 'enforcement orders', which basically just says don't do it again. The rest got off scot free. This includes the biggest users: Skanska and McAlpine. As usual, justice in the hands of the establishment stinks.
Blacklisted workers have set up their own support group, Blacklist Support Group, to highlight the involvement of the companies involved and may be looking at taking legal action against them.
Firms using The Consulting Association blacklist
Do you know who in these companies was involved? Contact us and let us know.
Those in bold got an enforcement order, those in brackets changed name or subsidiar. £ is amount invoiced by Consulting Association 2008/9 (rounded up and ontop of £3k subs)
Amec Building Ltd
Amec Construction Ltd
Amec Facilities Ltd
Amec Ind Div £50
Amec Process & Energy Ltd
Amey Construction – Ex Member
B Sunley & Sons – Ex Member
Balfour Beatty £1,178 (various subsidiaries)
Balfour Kilpatrick £7,154
Ballast (Wiltshire) PLc – Ex Member
Bam Construction (HBC Construction) £100
Bam Nuttall (Edmund Nutall Ltd) £636
C B & I £3,683
Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd £5,881
Costain UK Ltd £100
Crown House Technologies £2,477
(Carillion/Tarmac Const)
Diamond M & E Services £100
Dudley Bower & Co Ltd – Ex Member
Emcor (Drake & Scull) - ‘Ex Ref’
Emcor Rail £2,067
G Wimpey Ltd – Ex Member
Haden Young £640
Kier Ltd £100
John Mowlem Ltd -Ex Member
Laing O’Rourk (Laing Ltd) £3,711
Lovell Construction (UK) Ltd – Ex Member
Miller Construction Limited – Ex Member
Morgan Ashurst £100
Morgan Est £313
Morrison Construction Group – Ex Member
N G Bailey £3,084
Shepherd Engineering Services £100
Sias Building Services £114
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd £26,842
Skanska (Kaverna/Trafalgar House Plc) £28,123
SPIE (Matthew Hall) - Ex Member £50
Taylor Woodrow Construction Ltd – Ex Member
Turriff Construction Ltd –Ex Member
Tysons Contractors – Ex Member
Walter Llewellyn & Sons Ltd - Ex Member
Whessoe Oil & Gas £50
Willmott Dixon – Ex Member
Vinci PLC (Norwest Holst Group). £1,096
Do you know who in these companies was involved? Contact us and let us know.
Those in bold got an enforcement order, those in brackets changed name or subsidiar. £ is amount invoiced by Consulting Association 2008/9 (rounded up and ontop of £3k subs)
Amec Building Ltd
Amec Construction Ltd
Amec Facilities Ltd
Amec Ind Div £50
Amec Process & Energy Ltd
Amey Construction – Ex Member
B Sunley & Sons – Ex Member
Balfour Beatty £1,178 (various subsidiaries)
Balfour Kilpatrick £7,154
Ballast (Wiltshire) PLc – Ex Member
Bam Construction (HBC Construction) £100
Bam Nuttall (Edmund Nutall Ltd) £636
C B & I £3,683
Cleveland Bridge UK Ltd £5,881
Costain UK Ltd £100
Crown House Technologies £2,477
(Carillion/Tarmac Const)
Diamond M & E Services £100
Dudley Bower & Co Ltd – Ex Member
Emcor (Drake & Scull) - ‘Ex Ref’
Emcor Rail £2,067
G Wimpey Ltd – Ex Member
Haden Young £640
Kier Ltd £100
John Mowlem Ltd -Ex Member
Laing O’Rourk (Laing Ltd) £3,711
Lovell Construction (UK) Ltd – Ex Member
Miller Construction Limited – Ex Member
Morgan Ashurst £100
Morgan Est £313
Morrison Construction Group – Ex Member
N G Bailey £3,084
Shepherd Engineering Services £100
Sias Building Services £114
Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd £26,842
Skanska (Kaverna/Trafalgar House Plc) £28,123
SPIE (Matthew Hall) - Ex Member £50
Taylor Woodrow Construction Ltd – Ex Member
Turriff Construction Ltd –Ex Member
Tysons Contractors – Ex Member
Walter Llewellyn & Sons Ltd - Ex Member
Whessoe Oil & Gas £50
Willmott Dixon – Ex Member
Vinci PLC (Norwest Holst Group). £1,096
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