660 / 736
that the judgment must be for a sum against the liability
for which the driver or owner is insured—Burden of
proof to establish this on plaintiff—Appeal dismissed.
[Whelan v Dixon—Supreme Court (Maguire C. J.,
Lavery, Kingsmill-Moore, O'Daly and Martin Maguire
J.J.)—unreported—7 March 1957.]
LEGAL NEWS OF THE MONTH
SECRECY TO END
IN
RELATIONS
BETWEEN CIVIL SERVICE AND
COMMUNITY
Trade Dispute
Interlocutory Injunction to restrain pickets granted
Plaintiffs
seek
interlocutory injunction
to
restrain
defendants, members of the Irish Transport and General
Workers Union, from besetting and picketing
their
premises at Kill-of-the-Grange. There was an agreement
for the last seven years between the plaintiffs and the
union under which all non-skilled labour employed by
the plaintiffs in their Drogheda factory would be mem
bers of the union; the same arrangement was made for
the last two years with the National Engineering and
Electrical Trades Unoin
(N.E.E.T.U.). The
first
defendant, on
taking up employment at Kill-of-the-
Grange, agreed
to
join
the
I.T.G.W.U., while
the
second third and fourth defendants signed similar agree
ments in regard to N.E.E.T.U. In fact the five defend
ants were, and remained members of the Amalgamated
Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers (A.E.F.),
and each of them refused to ioin the other unions. The
plaintiffs
refused
to
recognise A.E.F.
as
an
official
union who could serve strike notice. From 13 to 27 Tulv.
when an interim injunction was granted, the defendants
picketed
the premises. Plaintiffs contention
that no
trade dispute exists doubted. There are not substantial
grounds for doubting the right of peaceful picketing
there, as it is doubtful whether the plaintiffs can insist
on employees
joining unions against their will, even
though this was a term of their contract of employment.
The aDDlication
for an
interlocutory
injunction was
accordingly dismissed.
[Becton Dickinson v Lee— Pringle J.—unreported—
19 August 1970.]
Trade Union
The Vice-Chancellor ruled that a contract for services
was not a contract of employment for the purposes of
the Trade Disputes Act, 1906 and that the executive
council of the Transport and General Workers Union
was therefore not protected by section 3 of the Act.
[Ready Mixed Concrete (London) Ltd. and another
v Cox—Chancery Division—
The Times—
4 February
1971.]
Trust
See Grzeczkowski v Jedynska and another; Court of
Appeal;
The Times;
19 January 1971.
The Minister for Finance, Mr. Colley said that
in a situation where State activity has such far-
reaching effects on the lives of citizens,
it
is
essential that its "whys" and "wherefores" should
be more widely understood.
"There
is
a growing consciousness within
public administration of the nefed
for more
effective communications with the whole com
munity. At all levels in the Civil Service there is
a new realisation that public servants cannot opt
out of communication," said the Minister.
Mr. Colley was speaking at the opening of a
seminar on Communications for Deputy and
Assistant Departmental Secretaries. The seminar
was held at the Institute of Public Administration.
According to a supplied script, Mr. Colley
went on:
"The widespread involvement of the Govern
ment, either directly or through its agencies, in
the economy of modern Ireland gives added
emphasis
to
the question of communications.
There is hardly any area of economic effort in
this community in which the Government is not
involved. Whether we are talking about agri
cultural
subsidies,
industrial
development
or
adaptation, the Government has a major role.
"The old idea of the Civil Service as a cautious
and
taciturn
institution, guarding
its
secrets
against all comers, no longer holds good. In
practice nowadays most people working in the
communications media will have experienced a
considerable
improvement
in the facilities for
saining access to information.
"It is natural that ministerial pronouncements
outlining particular Government policies will
make the main headlines, but the public servant
whose job it is to administer that policy will in
the future play a .greater role in providing the
kind of detailed information required by an in
creasingly sophisticated public.
"It is a fact that in the various Government
Departments and in local government there are
men of outstanding ability, imagination and drive.
200