THE GMB yesterday launched a fresh attack against construction firms over compensation for blacklisted workers.

The union said money offered by a group of employers so far was a “PR stunt.”

Legal moves are being made by both sides in the row after the union said talks about compensation were “on the verge of breaking down.”

The GMB said the employers were going to the High Court seeking permission to “unilaterally proceed” with a compensation scheme the union described as “wholly inadequate.”

It said the companies were proposing to pay between £15 million and £20 million in compensation, which it said accounted for just 2 per cent of the combined profits of the eight firms involved in the talks.

Blacklisting came to light in 2009 when the Information Commissioner’s Office seized a Consulting Association database of 3,213 construction workers and environmental activists used by 44 companies to vet new recruits.

Justin Bowden, national officer of the GMB, said: “The same companies who ran and organised the Consulting Association are going to the High Court to try and use the same information they used to blacklist in order to run their proposed compensation scheme.

“GMB will also be at the hearing, making sure the court has the full picture about blacklisting and the companies involved.

“This compensation offer is not an act of contrition but a cheap, underfunded PR stunt. My advice is that the companies should get serious and make proper restitution and close the book on this shameful chapter.”

On top of offering inadequate monetary compensation, GMB blacklisting liaison officer Phil Read pointed out the companies involved have not even bothered to apologise.

He told the Star: “Equally important to the compensation is an apology for the lives they’ve ruined. Money pays for a lot of things but there is more than that. 

“(They could say:) ‘We’re sorry we blacklisted you, we’re sorry we caused you harm, we’re sorry it helped cause your divorce, we’re sorry you lost your house, we’re sorry you had to emigrate to find work.’

“People are still waiting for them to acknowledge the harm they’ve caused.”

Construction union Ucatt is also fighting blacklisters in the courts, with 46 cases now before the High Court and more to come.