Miners' court bid fails

Pit supervisors must work the hours necessary to meet business needs

A legal bid to limit the number of hours worked by hundreds of coal pit safety supervisors in the UK has failed.

A High Court judge ruled against placing a 40-hour cap on their working week.

The test case had been brought by the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers (NACODS) on behalf of two supervisors.

They were John Francis who works at the Rossington Colliery, near Doncaster and Nigel Stilgoe, from the Daw Mill Colliery, Warwickshire.

'Business needs'

Representatives for the men claimed they were asked to work unpaid overtime at weekends which violated the terms of the contracts they agreed in 2001.

Union officials had contended that the men's contracts merely enabled employers UK Coal to "set flexible shift patterns not exceeding 40 hours in any one week".

But on Thursday, Mr Justice Newman rejected the argument and ruled in favour of the employers.

The ruling means up to 600 salaried supervisors must work whatever hours the company decides are necessary to meet its "business needs" - assuming those demands are deemed reasonable.

NACODS was refused permission to appeal against the judge's ruling but may still petition the Court of Appeal directly for a hearing.