Dublin council sides with striking dockers, but court aids Marine Terminals

COURT proceedings against the dock unit of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions over alleged intimidation of non-striking workers, has been adjourned, reports the Irish Times.

But before the adjournment, Mr Justice Kevin Feeney granted Marine Terminals Limited (MTL) an interim injunction against the union and 10 individuals arising out of what the company claims is an "unlawful escalation" of the 10-week strike over layoffs and work practice changes.

Taking the strikers' side, Dublin City Council called on the port and the deputy prime minister to resolve the problem, reported International Freighting Weekly.

"Marine Terminals Ltd has exacerbated the situation by seeking injunctions against the workers, trade union leaders and members of the local community," said a council resolution. "We call on the Dublin Port Company, as landlord, to use all of the power at its disposal to persuade MTL to engage meaningfully with the workers to bring the dispute to a satisfactory and speedy resolution."

But MTL said their workers have "coerced and intimidated" employees who did not strike by calling them scabs, and engaging in a "name and shame" campaign. It also told the court that a union group protested at another Marine Terminals facility at Athy in neighbouring Country Kildare and put up posters and distributed fliers identifying workers who did not join the strike. The defendants' action, the company argues, is in breach of the workers' constitutional right to earn a living.

The defendants, while accepting there has been "an escalated progression of the dispute" and admitting to calling them "scabs", denied they had done anything illegal. They also denied that the term scab has been used in a threatening or intimidating manner.

(Source: www.schednet.com)