Consulting Association
Encyclopedia
The Consulting Association was an organisation in the United Kingdom
which maintained an illegal blacklist
of construction workers who were active trade union
members, or were otherwise vocal on matters such as health and safety in their industry.
Its customer base consisted of over 40 construction companies who would supply details of existing or former employees deemed to have engaged in trade union or political activity. They could in turn enquire whether TCA had information about prospective employees. Customers would pay an annual £3000 subscription, and £2.20 for each enquiry.
TCA was based in Droitwich and was owned by Ian Kerr. Kerr has failed to deny Guardian
newspaper reports in the early nineties that he had been an employee of the Economic League
, which had provided a similar blacklisting service until it ceased operation in 1993.
On February 23, 2009, the company's office was raided by the Office of the Information Commissioner
, which served an enforcement notice under the terms of the Data Protection Act. The ICO’s states its action followed an 28 June 2008 Guardian article, Enemy at the Gates. The OIC disclosed that 3213 workers' details were held by the company.
The OIC announced that from March 16, 2009, a telephone enquiry service would be opened for people who suspected they may be listed on The Consulting Association's database.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
which maintained an illegal blacklist
Blacklist
A blacklist is a list or register of entities who, for one reason or another, are being denied a particular privilege, service, mobility, access or recognition. As a verb, to blacklist can mean to deny someone work in a particular field, or to ostracize a person from a certain social circle...
of construction workers who were active trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
members, or were otherwise vocal on matters such as health and safety in their industry.
Its customer base consisted of over 40 construction companies who would supply details of existing or former employees deemed to have engaged in trade union or political activity. They could in turn enquire whether TCA had information about prospective employees. Customers would pay an annual £3000 subscription, and £2.20 for each enquiry.
TCA was based in Droitwich and was owned by Ian Kerr. Kerr has failed to deny Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
newspaper reports in the early nineties that he had been an employee of the Economic League
Economic League (UK)
The Economic League was an organisation in the United Kingdom dedicated to opposing what they saw as subversion and action against free enterprise....
, which had provided a similar blacklisting service until it ceased operation in 1993.
On February 23, 2009, the company's office was raided by the Office of the Information Commissioner
Office of the Information Commissioner
The Information Commissioner's Office in the United Kingdom, is a non-departmental public body which reports directly to Parliament and is sponsored by the Ministry of Justice...
, which served an enforcement notice under the terms of the Data Protection Act. The ICO’s states its action followed an 28 June 2008 Guardian article, Enemy at the Gates. The OIC disclosed that 3213 workers' details were held by the company.
Member organisations
The OIC press release included a list of over 40 construction companies who were current or previous users of TCA.- AMECAMECAMEC plc is a global consultancy, engineering and project management company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is focused on the oil and gas, minerals and metals, renewable energy, environment and infrastructure sectors and has offices in 40 countries worldwide...
(Amec Building Ltd, Amec Construction Ltd, Amec Facilities Ltd, Amec Ind Div, Amec Process & Energy Ltd), - Amey ConstructionAmey plcAmey plc, previously known as Amey Ltd and Amey Roadstone Construction, is a United Kingdom based infrastructure support service provider. It was once listed on the London Stock Exchange but since 2003 it has been a subsidiary of Spanish company Grupo Ferrovial, S.A....
– Ex Member, - B Sunley & Sons – Ex Member,
- Balfour BeattyBalfour BeattyBalfour Beatty plc is a British construction, engineering, military housing, rail and investment services company. It is one of the largest construction companies in the UK, and the 15th largest in the world...
, - Balfour Kilpatrick,
- Ballast (Wiltshire) PLC – Ex Member,
- BAM Construction (HBC Construction), BAM Nuttall (Edmund Nutall Ltd),
- C B & I,
- Cleveland Bridge UK LtdCleveland Bridge & Engineering CompanyThe Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company is a renowned bridge building and structural engineering company based in Darlington, England. It has been involved in many major projects including the Victoria Falls Bridge and the Humber Bridge.-History:...
, - Costain UK LtdCostain GroupCostain Group plc is a British construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Maidenhead. It was part of the original Channel Tunnel consortium and is involved in Private Finance Initiative projects.-History:...
- Crown House Technologies (Carillion/Tarmac Const),
- Diamond M & E Services,
- Dudley Bower & Co Ltd – Ex Member,
- Emcor (Drake & Scull) - ‘Ex Ref’, Emcor Rail,
- G Wimpey LtdGeorge WimpeyGeorge Wimpey was formed in 1880 and, based in Hammersmith, operated largely as a road surfacing contractor. The business was acquired by Godfrey Mitchell in 1919 and he developed it into the UK’s pre-eminent construction and housebuilding firm. In 2007, Wimpey merged with Taylor Woodrow to create...
– Ex Member, - Haden Young,
- Kier LtdKier GroupKier Group plc is a construction, services and property group active in building and civil engineering, support services, public and private housebuilding, land development and the Private Finance Initiative...
, - John MowlemJohn MowlemJohn Mowlem was an English stonemason, builder and founder of the quarrying and construction company "Mowlem, Burt and Freeman".-Career:Mowlem was born in Swanage, Dorset, the son of a quarryman...
Ltd - Ex Member, - Laing O'RourkeLaing O'RourkeLaing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, United Kingdom. It was founded in 1978....
(Laing Ltd), - Lovell Construction (UK) Ltd – Ex Member,
- Miller Construction Limited – Ex Member,
- Morgan Ashurst, Morgan EstMorgan EstMorgan Est plc was a British based construction company specialising in infrastructure services headquartered in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It has recently been merged with the sister company Morgan Ashurst to form combined infrastructure and construction company Morgan Sindall, which is itself...
- Morrison Construction Group - Ex Member,
- N G Bailey,
- Shepherd Engineering ServicesShepherd Building GroupThe Shepherd Building Group is one of the largest privately owned building groups in the UK with a Group turnover in excess of £600 million. The Shepherd Groups history can be traced to 1890 when Frederick Shepherd, who was the founder of the Company, set up a successful building business in York...
, - Siac Building Services,
- Sir Robert McAlpineSir Robert McAlpineSir Robert McAlpine Ltd. is a private British company headquartered in London. It carries out engineering and construction for the oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation, nuclear, pharmaceutical, defence, chemical, water and mining industries.-History:...
, - SkanskaSkanskaSkanska AB, is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden, where it also is the largest construction company. The company's head office is in Solna, north of Stockholm.-History:...
(Kaverna/Trafalgar House Plc), - SPIE (Matthew Hall) - Ex Member,
- Taylor WoodrowTaylor WoodrowTaylor Woodrow was one of the largest British housebuilding and general construction companies. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but merged with rival George Wimpey to create Taylor Wimpey on 3 July 2007.-Early years:Frank Taylor was...
Construction Ltd – Ex Member, - Turriff Construction Ltd – Ex Member,
- Tysons Contractors – Ex Member,
- Walter Llewellyn & Sons Ltd - Ex Member,
- WhessoeWhessoeWhessoe was once one of the largest employers at Darlington and on Teesside in the North East England. It was a leading supplier of chemical, oil and nuclear plant and an international instrumentation business and remains a leading low temperature storage specialist.-History:The Whessoe Company...
Oil & Gas Willmott Dixon – Ex Member, - Vinci PLC (Norwest Holst Group)
Further measures
Ian Kerr was prosecuted for violating the Data Protection Act, 1998 by failing to register as a data controller. He pleaded guilty. Macclesfield Magistrates Court refused jurisdiction as it felt its maximum penalty was insufficient , and he was sentenced to a fine of £5,000 with £1,187.20 costs at Knutsford Crown Court in July 2009. The ICO was unable to prosecute Kerr for sharing data without permission, as the Data Protection Act does not make it an offence.The OIC announced that from March 16, 2009, a telephone enquiry service would be opened for people who suspected they may be listed on The Consulting Association's database.