{"id":5772,"date":"2015-09-16T11:32:07","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T10:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=5772"},"modified":"2015-09-17T16:53:59","modified_gmt":"2015-09-17T15:53:59","slug":"demand-the-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=5772","title":{"rendered":"Demand the truth"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Unite delegate Howard Sharpe spoke today (September 16) at the TUC in support of blacklisted trade unionists.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy story is the story of hundreds, maybe thousands, of other union activists,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI stood up for my civil liberties, my trade union rights, for health and safety and my fellow workers.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn exchange, construction employers put my name on a list warning each other against employing me.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nHoward explained how Unite is now suing big name construction companies, Sir Robert McAlpine, Balfour Beaty, Corrillion Construction and Kier on his behalf.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bCompanies,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bwho exchanged information about me.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey told each other I should not be employed because of my supposed militant activities and my attempts to organise members at a power station,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Howard noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey said I was \u00e2\u20ac\u0098someone to avoid at all costs\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nHoward recounted how, between 1994 and 2007, he could not get a job at any of the large construction companies or on large construction sites.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy working life was cut short because of my conscience for fellow workers and concerns about health and safety,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis hurt me, and hurt my wife and children.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bCongress,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Howard added, \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI have immense pride in my union. My union has almost three hundred members who are suing construction companies because they appeared on a blacklist.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy union has refused to negotiate with employers unless they agree to a public inquiry and to employ blacklisted workers.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy union has assured me that employers will not be allowed to hide from the truth by buying my case off with compensation.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI and other blacklisted workers demand the truth and exposure of those who have destroyed our lives,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 Howard said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bCongress, there can be no more important issue for our movement,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he went on to say. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bTo ensure we can organise in the confidence we will not be blacklisted by heartless employers.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nHoward concluded by urging Congress to support the composite and \u00e2\u20ac\u015bstand in solidarity for all our blacklisted comrades\u00e2\u20ac\u0165.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Unite delegate Howard Sharpe spoke today (September 16) at the TUC in support of blacklisted trade unionists.   \u00e2\u20ac\u015bMy story is the story of hundreds, maybe thousands, of other union activists,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.   \u00e2\u20ac\u015bI stood up for my civil liberties, my trade union rights, for health and safety and my fellow workers.   \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5776,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[52,392],"wps_subtitle":"Justice call for blacklisted workers","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5772"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5772"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5772\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5777,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5772\/revisions\/5777"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5772"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5772"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5772"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}