CONSTRUCTION unions appealed for blacklisted workers to come forward yesterday to join a claim for compensation for those whose lives were wrecked by the practice.

Ucatt and GMB both issued appeals after an initial court hearing into the compensation claims began.

The full hearing is not expected until early next year.

But so far only a fraction of the number of victims have been traced or come forward despite decades of victimisation stemming from trade union activities and the raising of health and safety concerns.

A 3,000-strong blacklist was unearthed when the Information Commissioner’s Office raided the offices of the Consulting Association in 2009.

CA vetted the names of would-be employees for 40 major construction companies.

Ucatt, GMB, Unite and the Blacklist Support Group have teamed up to pursue the claims.

But the number of workers who have come forward is still only in the hundreds.

GMB said that in Merseyside, for example, 173 construction workers were blacklisted, but only 23 have come forward.

GMB solicitor Michael Newman said: “Given that it was secret for so long, there’s a worry that they might not know they are on a list,” he said.