Government again rejects blacklisting public inquiry

摘要

The government has again refused to instigate a public inquiry into the blacklisting by prominent construction employers of workers who had raised health and safety concerns or were members of trade unions. It has, however, said that it will look at any fresh evidence about continuing blacklisting in the industry. The commitment was made during an adjournment debate secured by Chuka Umunna, a Labour backbench MP and former shadow business secretary. Although the parliamentary under-secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy, Margot James, refused during the debate to disbar blacklisting companies from receiving public sector contracts (see box 1), neither did she categorically rule out such an approach. Subsequently, however, she wrote to Chris Stephens MP that: "It is up to individual contracting authorities to apply these measures and take steps to be confident in the current practices of their contractors."