How can the force be held to account if we have no idea who was involved?

For six years, campaigners have been fighting for the truth: to find out if the police were involved in the ‘blacklisting’ of thousands of unionised construction workers. The truth has now come out. 

The Met police’s Special Branch – the undercover part of the force – handed over information to the Consulting Association, the construction industry body which kept records of over 3,000 trade unionists and environmentalists who were then barred from working on construction sites.

This represents nothing other than state-involvement in illegal union-busting: the construction companies involved were forced to cough up £75m in compensation for nearly 800 claimants just two years ago. There was a clear admission of wrong-doing and an apology.

But that is not enough. We now know that our own police service was involved in this long-running campaign of demonisation that ruined many lives – and kept thousands out of work in their own industry.

The admission comes in a letter from Deputy Assistant Commissioner Richard Martin. According to Union News it states:

“The Report concludes that, on the balance of probabilities, the allegation that the police or Special Branches supplied information is ‘Proven’…

“Sections of the policing community throughout the UK had both overt and covert contact with external organization, including the Economic League.”

Concerns of police involvement were simply dismissed in the past. As the GMB union note:

“When in 2013 GMB launched the first high court claims on behalf of those blacklisted there were many in the establishment who said we were paranoid conspiracy theorists.”

They were proven right – and it went beyond even what many feared.

The union has described the Metropolitan Police’s admission of their role in the blacklisting scandal as a ‘constitutional crisis’ and are now calling for a full inquiry.

There is currently an investigation going on into undercover policing – the so-called ‘spy cops’ inquiry.

But, as we reported on Thursday – it has lost credibility, and even saw a walkout from participants this week, after inquiry head Sir John Mittings refused to reveal the identities of the majority of police officers who were involved in undercover policing and infiltrating trade unions.

How can the force be held to account if we have no idea who was involved?

Justin Bowden, GMB National Secretary, said:

“The secret blacklisting of 3,213 construction workers and environmentalists was the greatest employment scandal in 50 years.

“…Admission by the police that they were directly and deeply involved in denying ordinary working people…from work and the chance to support themselves and their families is a constitutional crisis that can only be properly addressed by a full, independent public inquiry.”

And we have just learnt that in light of the police’s admission, the Unite union will now be investigating whether it is appropriate to pursue the police in legal action.

The union has already launched fresh High Court action on behalf of over 70 members who were blacklisted by the Consulting Association, for breach of privacy, defamation and Data Protection Act offences.

Here’s where we are: the participants have no faith in the Mittings inquiry. Unions are backing a walkout of participants and launching new legal action. And these new revelations show just how deep the collusion runs.

Ministers must either restore credibility to this investigation – by ensuring it is truly open and transparent – or hold a full inquiry on blacklisting which people can trust.

None of this should not stop the force holding to account those officers involved in orchestrating this collusion in the first place.

Whatever happens next, public trust in our police force matters, and today’s confession is a major blow to that. The Met, Sir Mittings and the Home Office should act swiftly before faith drops any lower.

Josiah Mortimer is Editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter.

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