Miners’ union set to fight on for payouts despite £1m legal bill (From South Wales Argus)
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Miners’ union set to fight on for payouts despite £1m legal bill
11:40am Tuesday 25th September 2012 in News
By Charles Booth
STILL FIGHTING: Bleddyn Hancock of The National Association of Colliery Overmen Deputies and Shotfirers South Wales (NACODS)
A MINERS’ union faced with a potential £1million legal bill said it will still fight on for workers’ compensation.
The National Association of Colliery Overmen Deputies and Shotfirers South Wales (Nacods) is awaiting the outcome of two major court cases but said it will not go out of business even if it loses.
It is awaiting the result of the case against the Phurnacite smokeless fuel plant in Abercwmboi, Rhondda Cynon Taff, a smokeless fuel plant which was run by British Coal and National Smokeless Fuels Limited.
The other case is an appeal for an unsuccessful compensation claim for miners who have suffered from osteoarthritis.
Union leader Bleddyn Hancock said: “We have the funds to pay the costs of the cases even if we lose.
“Even if we were to go out of business then it would be an honourable way to go.
“The union uses the funds to help members fight for compensation so it is not kept for a rainy day. It is a rainy day.”
The Argus campaigned for years alongside Nacods to get compensation for miners.
Gwent miners received more than £88 million in compensation in 2011 for chest diseases caused by coal dust, following an Argus campaign for justice.
The union has 500 members but only 40 are still working, the other members are retired miners.
Mr Hancock said at the time: “The Argus campaigned for the miners through the difficult times. We were very grateful for the support.”
The Argus campaigned to ensure their suffering did not go unnoticed, demanding that payment be sped up for those who developed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from working in pits across Wales and whose compensation claims were held up by red tape and government delays.
Cwmderi says...
1:29pm Tue 25 Sep 12
It was Mr Hancock and his union that took on both Labour and Conservative governments in the High Courts to fight and win compensation for sick and injured miners. Not only did he take them on, he won the biggest compensation case in history for British works.
These claims were not just for his own union members but for all mineworkers and their families, irrespective of what trade union they belonged to.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the British Association of Colliery Managers (BACAM) are sitting on £millions of reserves. If they have any principles at all they would dip into these reserves and pay for the court case that is being fought by NACODS and Mr Hancock on their behalf. After all, their members have received far more in compensation won by Mr Hancock's union than all NACODS members put together.
Teg chwarae