Blacked firms may claim on union, says NIRC
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• The four transport companies concerned in the blacking case that cost the TGWU £55,000 in fines returned to the National Industrial Relations Court last Friday.
Heaton's Transport (St Helens) Ltd, Craddock Brothers of Wolverhampton, and Hull-based Panalpina Services Ltd and Panalpina (Northern) Ltd had asked for a private meeting "for general directions" mainly relating to the question of compensation due to therlifollowing the NIRC's finding that the union was guilty of unfair practices.
After the meeting the Court's president, Sir John Donaldson, said that "directions of a technical nature" had been given to enable the claims to be resolved "in due course". He added that the Court's injunction against the TGWU ordering lifting of the blacking of the Panalpina companies would be ended because blacking of their premises had stopped on October 24.
Interim injunctions granted to the other companies remain in force.
Midland Cold Store, the east London firm that has been picketed by dock workers for six months, has made preliminary moves in the NIRC to seek an injunction against the pickets.
On Monday an expected confrontation between dockers and lorry drivers at the gates of the MCS premises came to nothing when the drivers, who had said they were willing to break the picket lines, had second thoughts and dropped the threatened action.
Mr Erik Rechnitz, the TGWU shop steward who leads the drivers, said he would try to arrange a meeting between the disputing members of his union to discuss the situation.