Union wins time to
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answer IKON claim
THREE Appeal Court judges in London last week ruled that the £50,000 compensation claim against the Transport and General Workers Union should be adjourned for a month.
The Court allowed with costs the union's appeal against an earlier refusal by the National Industrial Relations Court to postpone its hearing of the claim against the union.
The TGWU had argued that it faced a last-minute amendment to the claim by Wolverhampton hauliers Craddock Brothers, which "stood the case on its head".
Time was needed for the union's accountant to reexamine Craddock Brothers' books in the light of the amendment, said Mr Peter Pain QC, for the TGWU.
Sir John Donaldson, the Industrial Court President, said that the hearing should proceed because there were matters that could be dealt with that were unaffected by the amendment.
Mr Richard Yorks QC, for Craddock Brothers, denied that the revised claim was a departure from that originally put in over a year ago. Rather than have the case adjourned Craddock Brothers would withdraw the revision, he said.
But the Master of Rolls, Lord Denning, sitting with Lord Justice Stephenson and LordJustice Lawton, said that in all the circumstance the Industrial Court hearing should not proceed for a month.
Craddock Brothers' compensation claim stems from "blacking" of their lorries at Liverpool Docks by TGWU members during the containerization dispute two years ago.
49m vehicles
IN 1980, the world's factories will produce 49 million road vehicles — an increase of about 25 per cent on the 1973 figure. This forecast was given in London last week by the chairman of General Motors Corporation, Mr Richard C. Gerstenberg.
Speaking of UK market forecasts, he said GM expected to see a downturn in truck and car sales in 1975, then a slow but steady climb for the rest of the century.