THREE MEN have agreed before the High Court not to picket a Dublin building site in a row over the use of local labour.
Patrick McCann, Birchwood Heights, Tallaght, Gerard Boland, Casement Park, Finglas, and Michael Mooney, Fortlawn Avenue, Blanchardstown, all Dublin, undertook yesterday not to picket the site at Fettercairn Road in Tallaght.
Construction company C and A Excavations Ltd had obtained an injunction on Wednesday preventing the three and anyone else aware of the order picketing and blockading the site where 32 homes and special needs units are being built on behalf of South Dublin council.
Ms Justice Laffoy discharged the injunction against the three men on the basis of their undertakings but said the order remained in place against anyone else involved in picketing.
Counsel for the men said they denied allegations that criminal damage had been caused to the site.
The men said they had picketed out of frustration and because they had not received any help from their trade union Batu.
The judge adjourned the matter for three weeks.
The court heard on Wednesday that the picket began on March 3rd when people “who were complete strangers” to C and A told the company they wanted local bricklayers to be employed.
There were up to 12 picketers involved in blocking the site which has six different entrances.
Because of the nature of the site, the company said it was difficult to prevent the blockades and deliveries and the movement of machinery was interfered with. Bricklayers employed by a sub-contractor were no longer prepared to work on the site while the picket remained there and work was seriously delayed, it was claimed.
There were a number of public order and malicious damage incidents since the picket began, it was also claimed.
Matters came to a head when, on April 15th last, South Dublin County Council wrote to C and A saying it had failed to execute the works under the contract and gave it 10 days to do so or face termination of the contract.
Norman Lewis, contracts manager with C and A, said that as a direct consequence of the picketing, works were badly affected.
If the works were not completed on schedule, the company would be “placed in an impossible position” and exposed to substantial penalties, he said.