Unite member wins right to continue peaceful protest outside
Fiddlers' Ferry power station
22nd October 2009
A Unite member has won his right to continue a peaceful protest
outside Fiddlers' Ferry power station near Warrington. Scottish and
Southern Electricity (SSE) failed in its application for an interim
injunction against Unite member Steve Acheson at the Royal Courts
of Justice yesterday (21st October).
Scottish and Southern Electricity had been seeking Steve
Acheson's removal from outside the site where he has been
protesting against his dismissal by site contractors and against
blacklisting for over nine months.
The judge dismissed the application and ordered SSE to pay Mr
Acheson's costs.
The judge said that the application came some nine months after
Mr Acheson had begun his protest and that their appeared little
urgency on the part of SSE to act against Mr
Acheson.
The judge said that the application (based on a fear that Mr
Acheson would enter the site with a view to causing damage) was
'fanciful' and 'almost paranoid' and noted that Mr Acheson's
occupation meant that he was alive to the dangers posed by power
stations.
In written submissions to the court SSE indicated that they had
concerns about climate protesters and Steve Acheson seeking to
disrupt the operation of the power station and interrupt the supply
of power to the national grid.
Unite assistant general secretary, Les Bayliss, said: "Scottish
and Southern tried to cook up a fictional story to try to prevent a
Unite member from holding a peaceful protest against blacklisting
in construction outside Fiddler's Ferry power station. This was a
blatant attack on the rights we hold dear in a democratic society
and we are pleased that the judge saw right through Scottish and
Southern's bogus arguments."
ENDS
Contact Ciaran Naidoo on 07768 931 315
Email to a friend
