A SENIOR official of the Building and Allied Trades Union (Batu) has brought proceedings to have the union’s general secretary brought before the High Court to explain why he should not be jailed and the union’s assets seized over alleged contempt of court orders.
Denis Farrell, Batu deputy general secretary, is seeking orders against Batu and its general secretary, Patrick O’Shaughnessy, over their alleged failure to comply with a High Court order of March 2009 restraining interference with Mr Farrell in his work for the union. He claims the court orders have been breached as a result of failure to provide him with financial information about the union required by him to do his job.
Ms Justice Mary Laffoy yesterday granted Mr Farrell, Mount Eagle Grove, Leopardstown Heights, Dublin 18, liberty to serve the proceedings at short notice on the defendants, and returned the matter to next Wednesday. The application for short service was made on an ex parte basis.
In the proceedings, Mr Farrell wants orders for seizure of the union’s assets and for the attachment and committal of Mr O’Shaughnessy.
Oisin Quinn, for Mr Farrell, said his client had secured court orders in 2009 lifting his suspension from the union and preventing the union interfering with Mr Farrell’s duties as deputy general secretary of Batu. The 2009 proceedings heard Mr Farrell was suspended after refusing to pass a picket on its own headquarters placed by employees of the union.
Following the court’s orders, Mr Farrell said he had returned to work, and made every effort to have a normal working relationship with Mr O’Shaughnessy. While things worked out well initially, he said he has been repeatedly refused access to routine financial data relating to the union and has concerns about the union’s financial position.
Mr O’Shaughnessy had refused him even the most basic financial information, Mr Farrell said.
The information in question had previously been available to him and is still available to other Batu employees who are subordinate to him, Mr Farrell added. Denial of the material amounted to an interference with the discharge of his role as deputy general secretary.
Mr Farrell said that Mr O’Shaughnessy told him last June he was informed he was no longer permitted to be in the union offices unless accompanied by the assistant general secretary. Mr Farrell said this was an attempt to humiliate him and isolate him.