The Scottish Affairs select committee has heard how two construction firms have been accused of blacklisting workers.

Yesterday construction union Ucatt gave evidence to MPs that Sir Robert McAlpine and Skanska had run blacklisting checks for workers on high profile public sector contracts.

Ucatt general secretary Steve Murphy and national political officer Jim Kennedy told MPs that the now-defunct Consulting Association had been paid £28,122.60 by Skanska and £26,842.20 by Sir Robert McAlpine to carry out the checks.

Mr Kennedy said: "In an internal review, Skanska admitted that they were both using the Consulting Association to vet workers and were supplying information to the list, yet they escaped without penalty or sanction."

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The committee’s attention was drawn to a peak in Sir Robert McAlpine’s blacklisting activity in the third quarter of 2008.

From July to September 2008 McAlpine spent £12,839.20 making 5,836 blacklist checks, which works out at as much as 63 per day.

Mr Murphy showed how this corresponded with McAlpine’s building of the Olympic Stadium in late May 2008.

The company also began work on the building of the M74 in Glasgow, which began work at the same time.

Mr Murphy said: "Sadly, blacklisting is a live and current issue but it is difficult to provide hard evidence for such a clandestine activity. If we don’t legislate to outlaw blacklisting now, we will be having the same discussion again in the future when further blacklisting activities come to light.

"In the meantime, good workers are unable to secure employment because of their involvement in legitimate trade union duties."

(IT)