Ex-miners’ leader Scargill loses fight with union over bill for home security
FORMER miners’ leader Arthur Scargill has been ordered to pay for his own home security after trying to force union chiefs to pick-up a £6,000 bill.
He had expected the National Union of Miners to continue paying for the costs of installing state-of-the-art security cameras at his Barnsley home.
But a judge has dismissed his claim and told the 79-year-old former leader to put his hand in his own pocket.
The union has been picking up the tab for Scargill’s security since the 1970s when police advised he needed increased protection.
But the man who led mineworkers into the devastating 1984 strike fell out with his former union paymasters seven years ago and has been at war with officials ever since. The VIP protection system led to a new court battle because he had it installed at his home without bothering to send the union a quote.
The stone-clad cottage only 50 or so yards from the M1 is now fully kitted out to detect the approach of unwanted callers.
But when the former NUM president tried to force the union to reimburse him, a judge said no.
Leeds County Court heard Scargill’s claim was for recovery of £5,769 plus interest and costs which he had paid for a replacement security system at his home.
The judge agreed that the union has a duty to act in the members’ interests and decided that the NUM had acted reasonably when it requested a second quote from an independent contractor to ensure that this represented best value.
But the court was told Scargill refused to allow the union the opportunity of obtaining alternative quotations for the work. Scargill, who represented himself, failed to prove his case despite subjecting NUM secretary Chris Kitchen to a long grilling.
After the hearing, Mr Kitchen said: “I am obviously pleased at the outcome of this case but at a time when the union is doing its best to represent current and former members it’s a pity that yet again we are having to devote time and resources dealing with Mr Scargill’s complaints which are of no benefit to anyone except himself”.