Judge orders print union’s assets seized

Press, 12 February 1986, Page 10

Judge orders print union’s assets seized

NZPA-Reuter London A High Court judge ordered the seizure of the assets of Britain’s biggest print union yesterday for its attempt to halt distribution of Rupert Murdoch’s British newspapers. Mr Murdoch’s lawyers had asked for the sequestration of assets of the Sogat-82 (Society of Graphical and Allied Trades) Union, valued at £l7million ($44.2 million). Judge Michael Davies also fined the union £25,000 ($65,000) and gave it 14 days to pay. It was a predictable, legal victory for the Aus-tralian-born publisher. The union knew its effort to black “The Times” and Mr Murdoch’s three other newspapers was in breach of the labour laws. In a calculated bid to break the power of Fleet Street print unions, Mr Murdoch suddenly moved to two high-technology plants where electricians do the work. He later sacked all 6000 printers.

The union ordered members working in warehouses throughout the country not to distribute Murdoch papers, which include the biggestselling British tabloid, “The Sun.” It was found guilty yesterday of contempt of court for ignoring a Court injunction to withdraw that instruction.

The warehouse boycott broke laws against secondary, or “sympathy” action, because the warehouse employees,' although members of the same union, were not directly in the dispute. The boycott had largely failed to prevent Mr Murdoch’s News International group distributing a full print run of its two dailies and two Sunday nationals to most areas.

But the Judge said yesterday that the union was guilty of “flagrant” contempt, and the case for sequestration made by Mr Murdoch’s lawyers was “unanswerable.”

Sequestrators were ex-

pected to move in today to begin seizure of Sogat’s assets.

■ Sogat declined to attend the High Court hearing, while expressing its "great respect” for the Court. Industry sources said the union was expected to surrender its assets without a fight,to avoid the punitive costs of sequestrators’ fees.

The precedent for the use of Margaret Thatcher’s laws is against the National Union 'of Mineworkers during the year-long British coal strike, which ended in defeat last March. The laws, and the seizure of the N.U.M.’s assets, played a significant part in crushing the coal strike.

The union's assets will be frozen until the union purges its contempt by calling off its illegal action, apologising to the Court and paying any fines and legal fees. > •