DAVID CRAGGS - THE MRI BLACKLISTS

Dave Craggs worked as a labour supervisor for Haden Young Limited, a mechanical and electrical (M&E) subsidiary of Balfour Beatty for fifteen years until 2005. He was based in the North West region. Haden Young were the source of my original 2005 blacklisting evidence (the Haden Young blacklist checking sheets)

In 2005, Mr Craggs left Haden Young to work for another national M&E contractor, Rotary, as their Labour Manager on the Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) major project. He held this position until 2008 (source Mr Craggs's LinkedIn profile).

The MRI project had a contract value of around £450 million and the M&E element of the works had been divided between two national M&E contractors, Rotary and Balfour Kilpatrick Limited (another M&E subsidiary of Balfour Beatty).

The MRI project has significant relevance in the blacklisting scandal, as that was the project at the centre of the landmark Steve Acheson & Others v Logic Controls employment tribunal in January 2007 at which I gave evidence on behalf of the claimants. 

Logic Controls were working as a subcontractor on the Balfour Kilpatrick element of the works. The claimants won that tribunal, which then formed part of an article in the Guardian, which in turn alerted David Clancy at the ICO to the matter, who then raided and closed down the Consulting Association (CA), and so on...

Mr Craggs continued to work as Rotary’s Labour Manager from 2008 to 2011 on at least two other high profile major projects in Manchester, i.e. the Hilton Hotel (a Carillion project) and Manchester Media City. His Linkedin profile details that he was present in his role on these three major projects (from 2005 to 2011) for their entire duration.

In 2011 Mr Craggs left Rotary to join Emcor Engineering Services (Drake & Scull) as their Labour Manager, again based in the North West. Emcor (Drake & Scull), along with Balfour Kilpatrick, were the source of the second part of my original 2005 blacklisting evidence, 'the Sheila Knight Jubilee Line Extension, Royal Opera House and Pfizer blacklists’. 

These were lists of around 500 workers (involved in trade union disputes on these three high profile projects) secretly exchanged between Emcor (Drake & Scull) and Balfour Kilpatrick in August 2000. 

Balfour Kilpatrick were already a CA member at the time and Emcor (Drake & Scull) subsequently joined around 2001. We have since learned from the High Court litigation that many of these workers were subsequently placed on the CA blacklist.

In 2013 Mr Craggs re-joined Rotary for approximately three years as their Labour Production Manager. 

In February 2016 Mr Craggs joined SSE Enterprise Contracting, again based in the North West. SSE is relevant to the blacklisting because of their long-standing dispute with Steve Acheson at their Fiddlers Ferry power station project.

The Whistleblower

In March 2013, the Director of a Manchester employment agency (the whistleblower) sent database copies of two new construction M&E blacklists to me after reading about my campaign to expose the blacklisting. The new blacklists detailed information on approximately 200 workers.

The whistleblower alleged that the blacklists were sent to him by Mr Craggs in 2008 after Rotary had engaged his agency to supply M&E labour to them on the MRI project.
The whistleblower specifically referred to these lists as blacklists in his correspondence with me.

The Scottish Affairs Committee (SAC)

On 8 March 2013 I sent these two new blacklists to Eliot Wilson, the senior clerk at the SAC inquiry into blacklisting at the time for the attention of the committee.

Prior to that, I had alerted David Clancy at the ICO to the information I was sending to the SAC.

Prior to that, I had alerted Justin Bowden (the National Officer responsible for the blacklisting campaign at the GMB trade union) to the information I was sending to the SAC (in an email entitled ‘MRI Lists’).

I did not hear anything back from the SAC in respect of these disclosures, which I found concerning, but not surprising. I was providing them with a range of evidence on the trade union complicity and cover up of the blacklisting at the time. Something they appeared to have absolutely no interest in investigating or responding to. 

I also understand that a select committee is obligated to publish any evidence submitted to them on their website. I could not find any publication of the new blacklists or anything else I had submitted after my initial evidence in October/November 2012. 

The Information Commissioner

In the last few months I have alerted the new Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham to the existence of the new blacklists and their provenance. I engaged a legal firm to provide a legal opinion on the data and provide advice on how prepare and submit the information.

Their response is that they are not going to take any further action in respect of the data.

So we follow the same old pattern of my previous disclosures. The unions knew, senior labour politicians knew, the Chairman of the SAC, Ian Davidson knew and the ICO knew, but no one took any action to investigate the matter.

Were You Blacklisted?

The lists are comprised of mechanical and electrical tradesmen and mates i.e. electricians, mates, plumbers, fitters, etc. There are no other construction trades. 

Considering the above, if you feel you have been affected by this you can email me at alanwainwright1963@gmail.com

Please provide as much information as you can about any job applications, dates, projects, locations, etc. including those through recruitment agencies. Please also provide your personal information, including proof of ID.

I will then endeavour to put you in touch with a legal expert on these matters.

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