Construction Blacklist Database Administrator Fined

[reghakr]

ARRESTS, INDICTMENTS & SENTENCES

(July 16, 2009)

The man who maintained a blacklist database of builders in Britain has
been fined GBP 5,000 (US $8,219) by the Crown Court. Ian Kerr kept
information on more than 3,200 workers in the building industry; the
workers were not aware of the databases existence. Companies paid a
service fee of GBP 3,000 (US $4,931) annually for access to the
database, plus an additional GBP 2.20 (US $3.62) for each name accessed.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) intends to take enforcement
action against the construction companies that used the database.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/16/blacklist_builders_ico/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8153754.stm

 

[Lordbob75]

ARRESTS, INDICTMENTS & SENTENCES

(July 16, 2009)

The man who maintained a blacklist database of builders in Britain has
been fined GBP 5,000 (US $8,219) by the Crown Court. Ian Kerr kept
information on more than 3,200 workers in the building industry; the
workers were not aware of the databases existence. Companies paid a
service fee of GBP 3,000 (US $4,931) annually for access to the
database, plus an additional GBP 2.20 (US $3.62) for each name accessed.

The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) intends to take enforcement
action against the construction companies that used the database.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/16/blacklist_builders_ico/
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/8153754.stm

The links don't work for me.

So why is this Illegal? Sounds like an OK idea to me....

~Lordbob

EDIT: None of the links in any of your posts work for me. (FF cannot open the link because the mhtml protocol is not associated...)

 

[reghakr]

The links don't work for me.

So why is this Illegal? Sounds like an OK idea to me....

~Lordbob

EDIT: None of the links in any of your posts work for me. (FF cannot open the link because the mhtml protocol is not associated...)

Hello Lordbob,

The links worked fine for me. Gotcha, I now see the MHTML reference in the links.

Basically..........

Some of Britain's leading construction firms subscribed to a secret blacklist of workers which prevented them from getting jobs, a court has heard.

More than 40 firms used the database of 3,213 workers - which included details of trade union activity - to vet workers, Knutsford Crown Court heard.

Ian Kerr, 66, of Avoncroft Road, Stoke Heath, Worcestershire, has been fined £5,000 for administering the list.

He pleaded guilty in May to breaching the Data Protection Act.
Knowledge of the list emerged in March when officials from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) visited the offices of the Consulting Association, in Droitwich, Worcestershire.

Kerr was one of four employees at the association, which was described in court as a construction trade association.

I couldn't feed my children because of that list and all Kerr gets is a £5,000 fine Mike Abbott, former construction worker

John Wyn Williams, prosecuting for the ICO, told the hearing on Thursday that the body was funded by construction companies from across the UK.

"It would collate and provide information to construction companies in relation to individuals seeking employment in that industry," said Mr Wyn Williams.

The database included names, dates of birth, national insurance numbers and details of whether an individual had any connection to trade union activity.

It included details of "conduct which may impact on an individual's chances for further employment", he added.
"This information was to be used covertly. Individuals on the database were not aware of it and could not challenge the accuracy of the information," Mr Wyn Williams told the court.

Doesn't sound very ethical to me

 

[garysgold]

Here you go.
Builder blacklist boss hit with £5,000 fine • The Register
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Firms vetted workers on blacklist

 

[Lordbob75]

Hello Lordbob,

The links worked fine for me. Gotcha, I now see the MHTML reference in the links.

Basically..........

Some of Britain's leading construction firms subscribed to a secret blacklist of workers which prevented them from getting jobs, a court has heard.

More than 40 firms used the database of 3,213 workers - which included details of trade union activity - to vet workers, Knutsford Crown Court heard.

Ian Kerr, 66, of Avoncroft Road, Stoke Heath, Worcestershire, has been fined £5,000 for administering the list.

He pleaded guilty in May to breaching the Data Protection Act.
Knowledge of the list emerged in March when officials from the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) visited the offices of the Consulting Association, in Droitwich, Worcestershire.

Kerr was one of four employees at the association, which was described in court as a construction trade association.

I couldn't feed my children because of that list and all Kerr gets is a £5,000 fine Mike Abbott, former construction worker

John Wyn Williams, prosecuting for the ICO, told the hearing on Thursday that the body was funded by construction companies from across the UK.

"It would collate and provide information to construction companies in relation to individuals seeking employment in that industry," said Mr Wyn Williams.

The database included names, dates of birth, national insurance numbers and details of whether an individual had any connection to trade union activity.

It included details of "conduct which may impact on an individual's chances for further employment", he added.
"This information was to be used covertly. Individuals on the database were not aware of it and could not challenge the accuracy of the information," Mr Wyn Williams told the court.

Doesn't sound very ethical to me

Aha. Ok, I get it now. I thought it was perhaps a list of employees that had been blacklisted because of illegal or less than ethical behavior.

Now, I see this is similar to America during the.... late 1800's I believe. The Jungle is actually a really good book about it (I only had to read the first half. We skipped the second because it was about socialism, which was not what we were studying).

This would not be ethical. This is something that keeps those that participate in Unions from working for those that the Union hurts.

~Lordbob