Two council contractors in Hounslow are among a group of construction firms that have agreed a £10.4m payout for illegally blacklisting workers branded troublemakers.

Carillion and Vinci PLC were among eight firms that jointly announced on Monday (May 9) they had reached a settlement with Unite over the scandal, which saw hundreds of union members and environmental activists barred from jobs within the construction industry.

Carillion manages libraries, parks and open spaces for Hounslow Council . It also runs library services in Ealing and Harrow through the not-for-profit subsidiary Cultural Community Solutions.

Vinci-Ringway, a subsidiary of Vinci PLC, secured an £800m contract to restore, maintain and clean Hounslow's streets , which began in January 2013. It formed the company Hounslow Highways to carry out the work.

There is no suggestion any employees in Hounslow were affected by the blacklist, which was exposed in 2009.

'Biggest blacklisting scandal in UK construction industry history'

Unite said on Monday that 256 of its members caught up in what it described as "the biggest 'blacklisting' scandal in UK construction industry history" would between them receive £10.4m in compensation under the settlement.

Construction firms that admitted using the blacklist had previously agreed compensation for workers representing the unions GMB, UCATT and GCR.

More than 3,200 construction workers and environmental activists were included on a database seized in 2009 from a business called The Consulting Association. It was used by 44 companies to vet new recruits and keep out perceived troublemakers.

Carillion manages libraries in Hounslow, Ealing and Harrow

The GMB said the total value of the settlement for 771 claimants represented by the four unions was around £75m, including estimated legal costs on both sides of £25m.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "The massive scale of the agreed damages shows the gravity of the misdeeds of these major construction companies which created and used the Consulting Group as a vehicle to enable them to blacklist trade unionists on behalf of more than 30 construction companies.

"The sums to be paid out go a considerable way to acknowledge the hurt, suffering and loss of income our members and their families have been through over many years.

"Under the agreement they can once more apply for jobs in the construction industry without fear of discrimination."

'These construction companies wish to draw a line under this matter'

The Consulting Association blacklist was exposed during 2008/9 in an investigation carried out by the Information Commissioner's Office.

In a joint statement, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Costain, Kier, Laing O'Rourke, Sir Robert McAlpine, Skanska UK and Vinci PLC said they had settled the litigation regarding the activities of the Economic League and the Consulting Assocation.

They said they had acknowledged the system was unlawful and made a full public apology in October 2015.

"These construction companies wish to draw a line under this matter and continue to work together with the trade unions at national, regional and site level to ensure that the modern UK construction industry provides the highest standards of employment and HR practice for its workforce," the statement concluded.