Heaton's likely to drop compensation claim
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THE TRANSPORT and General Workers Union was meeting in Liverpool yesterday to consider proposals made by Heaton's Transport (St Helens) Ltd on the future relationship between the company and the union. If the proposals are accepted, then it is likely that the longstanding compensation claim made by the company against the union will be withdrawn. On Monday, the National Industrial Relations Court met to hear the claim and adjourned after one minute at the request of Heaton's solicitor, Mr R. Heaton Jnr, joint managing director, told CM this week that if they could establish future good relations with the Transport and General Workers' Union, the £10,000 claim would be withdrawn. The principal condition, according to Mr Heaton, is the establishment "of a watertight national dispute procedure." Early in 1973, the company complained that its vehicles were being blacked by TGWU shop stewards at Liverpool and when the stewards failed to obey a court order to stop the blacking the union was fined £55,000. On appeal the House of Lords affirmed the NIRC's ruling that the union was responsible for its shop stewards actions. The question of compensation for the damage they had suffered was first raised by Heaton's in a private hearing at the court in November 1972. Since then negotiations between the company and the union have continued and the court has been kept advised of the progress.
A related case in which Craddock Bros of Wolverhampton are seeking £50,000 compensation from the TGWU was due to be heard by the NIRC yesterday.