Unite the Union has strongly rejected claims made before the High Court that its members have engaged in an unlawful picket or protest outside the premises of a glass processing company.
Earlier this week Carey Glass claimed that on two occasions during the month of August members of the trade union had conducted unlawful pickets outside its premises at Nenagh, Co Tipperary.
Carey Glass claims that the protests arise out of what it accepts is a valid trade dispute between the union and a glass making company in Lurgan, Co Armagh called Vista Therm Ltd.
Carey Glass says while Vista Therm and it have the same parent company, they are separate legal entities, and are located in different jurisdictions.
In proceedings against the union Carey Glass Unlimited Company and the related Carey Glass Holdings Unlimited Company seek orders including an injunction restraining Unite and its members from picketing outside Carey Glass's premises.
When the matter returned before Ms Justice Siobhan Phelan during Thursday's vacation sitting of the Court Counsel for Unite, William Hamilton Bl, instructed by solicitor Andrew Turner of Hamilton Turner solicitors said his side was seeking an adjournment of the proceedings.
This, counsel said, was so the unit could fully respond to the claims made by the plaintiffs.
Counsel said that Unite's members have no plans to conduct a protest of any kind at the premises, pending the return of the action before the courts.
Counsel said his side, on a without prejudice basis, was prepared to give an undertaking to the court that its members would not conduct a protest of any kind at the premises in Nenagh, pending the return of the action before the courts.
Ms Justice Phelan, who noted that the parties had agreed a timetable for the exchange of legal documents in the dispute, agreed to adjourn the matter for a week.
Previously Mark Connaughton SC for Carey Glass said that the order was being sought as the firm, which claims that Unite has no legitimate dispute with, was concerned that it would be the subject of further protests outside its premises.
Counsel said that the Unite had given his clients in early August an assurance that no picketing of its premises would take place.
Despite that assurance by the union, Carey Glass claims that approximately 20 people, some with Unite the Union banners, conducted protests outside its premises on August 16 and the 25th last.
It claims that it sought undertakings from Unite that no further protests would take place, but says none were forthcoming.
This, the plaintiffs claim, resulted in the application before the court for the restraining orders.
