Writing in The Guardian recently, Dave Smith, co-author of Blacklisted: The secret war between big business and union activists, stated...
"The UK's secret political police are spying on me. I know this because the Metropolitan police have refused to provide a copy of my police file. The reason? To do so `would be likely to prejudice the prevention and detection of crime'. My `crime' is being a trade unionist, campaigning to expose the scandal that led to more than 3,200 people being blacklisted by building contractors..."
...and, no doubt, writing a blockbusting book documenting it all. It centres on a blacklist of trade union activists compiled by The Consulting Association, which formally came to light during a raid in 2009 by the Information Commissioner's Office and the seizure of files with personal details on thousands of people.
As Dave writes, "it became obvious that some of the information in them could only have come from the police or the security services. This was confirmed by David Clancy, head of investigation for the ICO (and formerly a Greater Manchester police officer).
"Peter Francis, former undercover police officer turned whistleblower, revealed he spied on some blacklisted workers because of their anti-BNP activities" he adds "And the same information he collated appeared on their blacklist files. Unions and MPs called for a public inquiry, which was flatly rejected by David Cameron, Theresa May and Vince Cable."
The Consulting Association was funded by some of the biggest construction companies in the country over a 16 year period and led to workers being unable to get employment, with horrific effects on their families. Indeed, Smith calls it a "systematic conspiracy involving the state"...
"Blacklisting" he states "is just the latest in a long history of British state anti-unionism stretching back to Tolpuddle. It is no longer an industrial relations issue: it is a human rights issue. A conspiracy between big business, the police and the security services, and the refusal to disclose information that everyone knows exists amounts to a good old-fashioned establishment cover-up."
Blacklisted: The secret war between big business and union activists
by Dave Simth and Phil Chamberlain (New Internationalist)
Book Launch
Friday May 1st
Kings Arms, Bloom Street 6pm
with co-author Dave Smith, and Gail Cartmail, Assistant General Secretary of Unite.
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