SIPTU yesterday told a court it would not threaten to expel people working as television and film extras who are members of its Crowd Panel if they subscribed to a database of extras provided by a theatrical agency.
The State's largest union also told the High Court it would not insist that customers or potential customers of the services provided by the Crowd Panel used only the services provided by it.
The Crowd Panel was established within the Irish Actors' Equity Group, a branch of the union.
SIPTU stated that although it was giving the undertakings, it denied any of the allegations made by the theatrical company. The undertakings will apply until the hearing of the main action.
Irish Entertainment Database Ltd, trading as ICU Ireland, Ranelagh Village, Dublin, is taking the case against SIPTU, Liberty Hall, Dublin.
Yesterday, Mr Michael Cush, for the company, told Mr Justice McCracke his client provided up to date information regarding people working as extras. The defendant was a trade union which had as one of its branches the Irish Actors' Equity Group. The company sought to restrain the union from certain activities. He said the union had indicated that it would give undertakings.
Ms Mary Finlay SC, for the union, said her clients denied the plaintiff's allegations. She said she wanted to make the denial as certain articles had been published in the press about the case.
She was giving the undertakings without prejudice to the union's contention that it was not in breach of the Treaty of Rome and the Competition Act, 1991.
In the case being taken by ICU, it alleges the union insisted that customers or potential customers of the services provided by the Crowd Panel established by one of its branches, the Irish Actors' Equity Group, should use only the services provided by the panel.
It also alleges the union threatened members of the Crowd Panel with expulsion from the panel ink the event of them subscribing to the database provided by ICU.
The company is also seeking an order restraining the union from seeking directly or indirectly to limit or control the supply of services by people who act as crowd extras in the production of films, television programmes or television commercials.
It also seeks to restrain the union from acting in breach of the Competition Act 1991 and from abusing its dominant position in the market for the supply of persons to act as crowd extras.