Blocklist

Rob had always enjoyed working with his hands and when he left school in Birmingham joined a local construction firm as an apprentice roofer. After successfully completing his training he was taken on by that company on a full-time basis and always received positive feedback from colleagues, management and clients.
 
Eight years after joining the firm, having married his childhood sweetheart and with a child on the way, Rob fell from scaffolding and broke both his legs. The company supported him through his recuperation, paying for his healthcare and supplementing his sick pay. A subsequent investigation by an independent body resulted in the company being found guilty of negligence and not providing Rob with a secure place of work.
 
Two years after the accident, Rob moved to another construction firm that sadly went out of business shortly after he joined. He began applying for jobs with other firms but despite being able to evidence his skills and previous positive feedback, was never offered an interview. This went on for a year and a half, until one day one of the large house building firms interviewed him and made him a provisional offer of employment. However, two days later, this offer was rescinded on the grounds that there was no longer vacancy as the company had misjudged their requirements. However, Rob found out that three days after he was told there was no post, another roofer was taken on instead.
 
A further six months passed during which time Rob still was unable to get a job. The lack of money put a strain on his relationship and in the end his wife left him, and he had to move back in with his parents.
 
Out of the blue, he received a letter. This letter made reference to a ‘blocklist’ of construction workers on which there appeared to be an entry relating to Rob. The information seized from the company operating this blocklist comprised national insurance numbers, newspaper clippings and comments from managers. Building firms, including some large national firms and some of those Rob had applied to join, would fax the company holding the blocklist to check a person out before taking them on. The pretext was to see if people had been accused of or found guilty of dishonesty offences such as theft but in reality common information included a person’s trade-union membership or health and safety claims made by them.  
 
Rob’s name was on the list, together with a note about him being a member of Unite and accusations about him deliberately causing the fall four years before to get money out of his employer and get them in trouble, which was incorrect. It also falsely listed that Rob had tried to get money from the company many times before and that he was unreliable, despite previous positive feedback.
 
Rob was relieved to find out why he had been unsuccessful in finding employment and three months later got a job, enabling him to move into a place of his own and seek joint custody of his little girl. However, he remains less confident than he once was and fearful that false information about him will continue to dog both his work and home life for years to come.