Miners Knee Compensation

I'm delighted to see Plaid MPs leading the fight for compensation for miners suffering from knee injuries after working for the NCB. It's a disgrace that once again instead of conceding liability Labour will force miner to go through the High Court. This was the case with chest disease compensation, and will yet again be the case with knee injuries despite originally stating they were 'committed to mediation' i.e finding a solution outside the courts.

In February this year the DTI Minister Michael Wicks refused to meet with NACODS - so much for being 'committed to mediation' citing lack of evidence, yet now Judges have give the go ahead for a High Court case cause of the evidence provided by claimants.

After losing the chest disease case Labour removed Legal Aid for industrial class actions on behalf of injured workers. This means that NACODS South Wales and their leader Bleddyn Hancock will now fight this case knowing that defeat would mean that the test case miners could face Government costs if they lose. We are talking about millions of pounds, that Labour will threaten against former miners who merely seek justice.

The Labour party yet again loses all credibility as the party of ordinary working people. The South Wales Labour MPs in Westminster should hang their heads in shame.

Miners Compensation - the Great New Labour Lie

It must be election time when Labour politicians start trumpeting compensation payments to former NCB miners for respiratory diseases caused by working underground. What Labour politicians don’t tell you of course is that these payments were only awarded after the newly elected Labour Government in 1997 was defeated in the courts by NACODS South Wales.

It is really scrapping the barrel to claim credit for something when you were dragged kicking and screaming through the courts. Here’s a little question for Labour politicians, if you are so concerned with awarding compensation to miners for the terrible injuries sustained whilst working for the NCB, why don’t you address an anomaly in the initial case and include surface mineworkers in the compensation scheme?

The case is clear; many surface mineworkers worked in the washeries and were probably subjected to dustier conditions than those underground, yet Labour has done nothing to ensure these workers are eligible for rightful compensation.

Why don’t the unions go to court I hear you ask. Following the original court loss the government has made it far harder for class actions of the sort to be won. In the case of surface mineworkers, the Labour Government is refusing to safeguard any claimant from prosecution costs should they lose. The threat of having millions of pounds worth of Government defence costs as a liability is enough to hinder any further compensation claim.

This is nothing less than bullying by Labour. The very least the Government should do is waver costs and let this issue be resolved by the Courts. With the way Labour are harping on about the current scheme you would think that they would just include surface mineworkers in the scheme as an act of good faith and be done with it.