Industrial action: Mere presence of pickets can be inducement to breach contract

In Union Traffic Ltd v Transport and General Workers' Union and others, the Court of Appeal holds that, in certain circumstances, the mere presence of pickets can constitute an inducement of those seeking to cross the picket line to break their contracts of employment and so be unlawful. Furthermore, the court is prepared to assume, in the absence of detailed evidence on the point, that where such inducement leads to a closure of the premises picketed, it also indirectly induces the company whose premises are being picketed to breach its commercial contracts, and is tortious on that ground as well.