Blacklisted/Blackballed/Defamation What to do next?

[jmo21]

I am struggling to believe someone has called the police because they think they have been black balled.

What evidence did you take to them?

[WTFH]

I am asking how can I find out the facts for example do I need to hire a private investigator? What other methods can I use to find out what really happened?

The facts are:
1. You don't want to answer questions that might help explain your problem
2. You appear convinced you will win if you sue someone/everyone
3. You've not been doing much/any contracting for 6 years and you think that has no bearing on you getting work
4. You've already got the police, the ICO and others involved and they haven't been able to find the "evidence" you're looking for
5. You have a history of problems with contracts going back well before 2012

If you want to find out what really happened, you need to park your emotion and start looking through the questions and comments made here. Review your past contracts, all the way back to before the first one where you had problems. Look at them as a professional business to business piece of work.

But if you're serious about going legal (although you've waited a long time), then hire a good solicitor. It will cost you a few hundred pounds an hour, and they will start off by asking you for all the pertinent information. If it gets to the point that you go to court against an individual or company, then that individual or company will also ask to see all the evidence. If it's found that you are withholding some because you don't think it's relevant, then it will not go well for you.

Sorry I can't give you a magic bullet, but that's because based on what you've said, I don't believe there is one.

[Cirrus]

Ignoring for a moment that this might well be a hoax, the interesting thing is boredfromsurrey thinks that some people have been giving her bad references so her immediate response is try and mobilise the Law to stop them. She doesn't really think she needs to find out why she is the subject of unprovoked attacks whereas nobody else (that I've ever heard of) has suffered the same thing. It's so common nowadays that whatever goes wrong for people, they think it's someone else's responsibility to solve the problem.

The interesting thing is not boredfromsurrey taking this stance but rather this attitude is so rare normally on these forums. Contractors are generally realistic and self sufficient. It's one of the postive contributions of contracting that it creates a workforce who get on with things rather than whinge on and create expensive, time consuming drags on businesses. Be honest: when you've needed to add a person to your team and some permie is in the frame only for the client to say "Look - just get a contractor", don't you want to go down the pub and celebrate?

Every time?

[ContractorScum]

Check your CO2 alarms

[BlasterBates]

Maybe " I have pissed people off "we all have our bad days. It is competitive but I do not play dirty. I am not paranoid, the police are involved/aware but this is not the whole issue in fact it may be unrelated to the "blacklisting, defamation or whatever the right term is. I am very professional. I have been a manager. I have been in senior roles/contracts. My CV, interview etc. may not be what people like but I am not a "worker" I am an Independent Consultant. I don't even want to own a CV but agencies will not touch me without one. Anyway I now see myself as an ex-contractor but it is useful to see the comments that are coming out. Please people keep posting.

I think that the problem you may possibly have essentially is that you are highly qualified in a niche. If you were another Java contractor I very much suspect you would have no problem whatsoever. I think most companies would largely ignore any negative references and give you a go, if indeed the references were negative. In a highly qualified niche there are often very few opportunities and in the meantime it has been sometime since you were working.

I don't think the legal route is helpful other than to get compensation. I think it's doubtful that anyone would have defamed you, "negative references" are couched in very positive terms. i.e "very competent, is unfortunately pursuing a legal case against the company, we wish her well".

[pauldee]

Have you seen the content of these references?

[SueEllen]

I think that the problem you may possibly have essentially is that you are highly qualified in a niche. If you were another Java contractor I very much suspect you would have no problem whatsoever. I think most companies would largely ignore any negative references and give you a go, if indeed the references were negative. In a highly qualified niche there are often very few opportunities and in the meantime it has been sometime since you were working.

I don't think the legal route is helpful other than to get compensation. I think it's doubtful that anyone would have defamed you, "negative references" are couched in very positive terms. i.e "very competent, is unfortunately pursuing a legal case against the company, we wish her well".

To add to this most companies who can't give you a positive reference refuse to give you a reference at all, and this has been going on for years. The reason being is there is no law that states a company has to give a reference so instead of giving a negative reference and risk being sued, they just say they cannot give a reference on that person.

Also if you last worked in 2012 then some of the companies you, boredfromsurrey, are contacting would have destroyed their paperwork on you as they don't have to keep them for decades.

[Scruff]

Criminal Justice - if no crime has been committed, then the CPS are not going to pursue a Prosecution without sufficient evidence?

Civil Justice - if you haven't suffered personal financial loss as a result of your allegations, then there is nothing to be gained?

Just because the "police are involved" means very little. The police investigate criminal matters, not civil issues. They are not the Judiciary.

Your posts sound a little irrational, and not wanting to have a CV, is an example. How do you expect to gain entry into the contract world without a well constructed and up-to-date CV? Trying to change a contract, after you have signed it, due to "IR35" is another - little wonder why your contract was terminated.

As previous posters have mentioned, there is no "IT Recruitment" blacklist.

Perhaps your Skills need updating? Gaps of longer than 3 months on your CV will be investigated - particularly for Financial and Government roles.

[SueEllen]

Criminal Justice - if no crime has been committed, then the CPS are not going to pursue a Prosecution without sufficient evidence?

Civil Justice - if you haven't suffered personal financial loss as a result of your allegations, then there is nothing to be gained?

Just because the "police are involved" means very little. The police investigate criminal matters, not civil issues. They are not the Judiciary.

Police involvement frequently means the police have logged and will give you a crime reference number. If and only if a few other people notify them of the same issue with the same person then they may investigate it but they are unlikely to if it isn't a serious crime.

The ICO has a tendency to log things and send out letters. They leave it up to the person complaining to take legal action if needed using the information found from their letters. Only in rare serious cases e.g. secret surveillance do they act on a complaint from a sole member of the public.

[PermieToContractorAndBack]

The interesting thing is not boredfromsurrey taking this stance but rather this attitude is so rare normally on these forums. Contractors are generally realistic and self sufficient. It's one of the postive contributions of contracting that it creates a workforce who get on with things rather than whinge on and create expensive, time consuming drags on businesses. Be honest: when you've needed to add a person to your team and some permie is in the frame only for the client to say "Look - just get a contractor", don't you want to go down the pub and celebrate?

Every time?

I think a lot of contractors put up with way more than permies would and sometimes reading threads here remind me of stories about women in abusive relationships who stick around - while anyone sane would have bailed long ago.

It's all very well if you earn 500 - 1,000 a day but the dark side of flexible workforce is zero hour contracts on minimum wage. Yes I know they are permies disguised as contractors but more flexibility usually gives more power to clients and employers to the detriment of the majority of workers. "Time consuming drags on business" - companies in the UK are notorious for under investment and taking their profits out of the country.

So if you earn and the lifestyle works for you then more power to your elbow but you are also most likely in the minority.