Contempt of Court and the Enforcement of Labour Injunctions
The scope and effectiveness of a legal remedy will be substantially determined by the method of its enforcement. Labour injunctions' are enforced by contempt of court proceedings. The legal principles governing contempt of court are uncertain and the sanctions for contempt of court in labour injunction cases are severe, so that labour injunctions may well restrict a wider range of activities than their wording would suggest because of the fear of contempt proceedings. This article is divided into two sections. The first contains an outline of the present uncertainties in the law and procedure of contempt. The second section contains a consideration of the nature of judicial discretion in contempt cases and the forms of sanction for contempt that a court can employ within the context of the labour injunction.