Unite accused of breaching picket line injunction

MEMBERS of Unite “repeatedly and deliberately” breached an injunction relating to industrial action by refuse workers in Birmingham, a High Court judge has been told.

- NINA MASSEY News Reporter

Unite members walked out on March 11, leading to rubbish piling up on the streets, and the union has warned the strike could continue into next spring.

The High Court order, which the union previously agreed to, prohibits the blocking of council rubbish collection vehicles at depots or on Birmingham city streets.

Unite has admitted the breaches, which included the blockading of vehicles at depot entrances and slow-walking next to vehicles, and apologised “unreservedly” in court documents.

Yesterday, lawyers for Birmingham City Council (BCC) told the court in London that the “appropriate penalty” for breaching the injunction, which was made on May 23 this year, would be a financial one.

Bruce Carr KC, for BCC, said the “absurdity of the position” is that until July 25, when it received legal advice, Unite genuinely believed that the terms of the order entitled them to block vehicles some distance from the depots.