SHADY construction bosses were sent packing at the High Court yesterday when a judge threw out their bid to skip negotiations and pay blacklisted workers a pittance in compensation for years without employment.

Eight brass-necked firms, including Balfour Beatty, McAlpine and Carillion, even wanted the Information Commissioner to hand over the current home addresses of trade unionists and political activists they had systematically kept off building sites.

But Judge Master Leslie threw out their attempt to grab the private data.