Cadeby Miners Summoned – An Alleged Breach of Contract

April 1936

Mexborough & Swinton Times April 24, 1936

Cadeby Miners Summoned
An Alleged Breach of Contract

The hearing of summonses against 40 miners at Cadeby Colliery for breach of contract was adjourned at Doncaster on Saturday to Tuesday, April 28. For the miners, Mr T. Dunn, of Rotherham, said the cases were claims under the employers and workmen zapped for breach of contract. He applied for an adjournment to enable him to prepare the case for the defence, as he only received instructions to defend last Wednesday. He suggested that the alleged breach could not be made worse as the stoppage was not a continuing one. The men had gone back to work on the following day.

Objecting to the adjournment, Mr A. S. Furniss, of Rotherham, for the Colliery Company, said there summonses would really boil down to 2, claims for four shillings and six shillings. Men employed in the same stalls were the others concerned.

The Colliery Company felt they could not consent to an adjournment, and to get the necessary witnesses to court meant that the disarrangement of the usual holiday procedure. The manager, under managers and other officials were required to attend.

Issued in March, the summonses were served by April 2. Negotiations had taken place between the management, the men and officials at Barnsley, for appointments had not been kept. The colliery company felt that they were being trifled with. There had been seven similar cases this year and they could not be trifled with further. In the seven similar stoppages the summonses had been issued and withdrawn. They could not allow this sort of thing to go any further. There had been ample time from last Wednesday until the following Tuesday to get the case prepared. It was a question “yes” or “no,” of whether there was a breach of contract or not.

One case, continued Mr Furniss, the men had downed tools and had walked out after they had got to work. The men had had ample time to prepare the defence.

Granting the adjournment, the chairman (Mr G. E. Cooke Yarbrough) said that would be final.