I am surprised that
Balfour Beatty have been put forward for this contract. In my opinion
they fall foul of Dundee City Council's clear and unequivocal opposition
to blacklisting. Indeed they fall foul of the Scottish Government's
policy and are guilty of 'grave misconduct in the course of business and should be excluded from bidding for a public contract.'
I cannot understand how councillors can have voted for a
strong stance against blacklisting and then would let this go through without
making their views known. I have written to the Chief Executive asking
for an explanation of how it is that Dundee City Council's own policies are
being ignored. I will be trying to get the council to take a stance
against blacklisting at the meeting of the Policy & Resources Committee.
Blacklisting is wrong, it is wrong to deny people work
because of their trade union activity, or because they are concerned about
health and safety. This is public money which we are spending and we
should be doing all that we can to ensure that it is spent ethically.
I have been campaigning since I was first elected for improvements to Dundee Rail Station which has offered a very poor welcome to our city for a number of years. I want to see improvements at the Rail Station but we cannot ignore our previously stated policies to get it.
