The Daily Telegraph http://www.theaustralian.com.au/index.asp?URL=/bnew/pageone.htm Ex-miners to share in $5bn By JONATHAN PORTER 11jun99 12.30pm (AEST) A WORLDWIDE search began today in Australia for up to 35,000 miners who are entitled to share as much as $5 billion in compensation. The compensation, of up to $120,000 per miner, is available for workers who laboured in pits in England, Wales or Scotland after 1954. The entitlement came after a landmark settlement by British Coal giving 100,000 former British miners reparation if they could prove they suffered respiratory illness from exposure to coal dust in the mines. The British High Court last year delivered a damning indictment in a test case against British Coal for neglecting its employees' health. Graham Ross, one of the lawyers who ran the test case, is searching for miners and their families who emigrated to Australia. Mr Ross today urged the workers to come forward. "If miners forgo their money it reverts to public funds," he said. Mr Ross said that after assisting Australian miners to get what they deserved he would be moving on to other countries - the US, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. "Wherever Britons have immigrated, there will be former miners - workers who toiled in appalling conditions who are entitled to this money," he said. Mr Ross said the compensation was not limited to miners. "If the miners themselves have died after suffering from these terrible diseases of emphysema, chronic bronchitis and exacerbation of asthma, their wives and children can claim compensation," Mr Ross said. British Prime Minister Tony Blair said of the miners: "This is a debt we owe the miners." The British Minister for Energy John Battle said: "The progress we are making with compensation arrangements cannot come soon enough for these men and their families. It is nothing less than they deserve." Mr Ross said: "This is a debt that is owed but no effort is being made by the British Government to seek out these people." He said former miners would first have to undergo an examination on their lung function. "If they worked in the mines for five years since 1954 and have some lung function loss they will be offered a 'full and complete' settlement of 1000 to 5000 pounds sterling," Mr Ross said. But Mr Ross said if miners were not satisfied with the offer they could have a full medical examination and - depending on the degree of their disability - could be entitled to up to $120,000. Mr Ross said he was also in Australia to assess the working conditions of the nation's mines to see if they had an impact on workers' medical conditions after they left British pits. "I don't think it will be a serious problem - here you have some of the safest mines in the world," he said. Former miners who want to find out about compensation can call Mike Bailey on 02 6355 1287, or visit the British lawyer's web page at http://www.y2kalert.com/coaldust.html ************************************************************************* This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use." -- Leftlink - Australia's Broad Left Mailing List mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.alexia.net.au/~www/mhutton/index.html Sponsored by Melbourne's New International Bookshop Subscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=subscribe%20leftlink Unsubscribe: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20leftlink
