Apr/100
Gravitas Law Holds Miners meeting at Bold Miners welfare Friday 23rd April 2010
Gravitas held its first roadshow at Bold Miners welfare Club (St Helens),the turnout was better then expected and all formers miners left satisfied with the advice given.
Gravitas Laws legal team advised miners on Undersettling of Vibration White Finger Claims and also on Miners Knee Claims Via the DWP and information on the forthcoming test cases for Miners Knee(Osteoarthritis).
Gravitas Laws legal team will be travelling the country hosting events in mining communities.
For additional information please contact Bobby Kennedy on 01744 744090.
Mar/100
Miners Urged to Claim Refund
A Yorkshire MP has urged miners to move quickly to demand a refund from a Barnsley law firm found guilty of misconduct over compensation claims.The Wentworth MP is reminding former miners and their families that complaints must be lodged with Barnsley solicitors Raleys by the end of February.
In November the firm wrote to 22,000 customers who had deductions paid to the NUM.
Raleys Solicitors took over£7.5m from Miners compensation payouts and passed it to the Miners union. In return the NUM provided Raleys with up to 29,000 clients.
Three Raleys solicitors were suspended for professional misconduct a year ago after a tribunal found the firm failed to act in the best interests of its clients and the NUM deal was of no real benefit to the clients.
Mr Healey MP for Wentworth said: “I know from constituents that not all those who might be entitled to claim back money have received the letters, some may have moved house or want to claim on behalf of deceased relatives.
“Raleys are only giving you until the end of February to reply to this offer, so if constituents haven’t received a letter and think fees may have been deducted from compensation, they should get in touch. I want every miner or their family who is entitled to it to claim this money.”
If you have missed this deadline please contact Miners Rights by the following means on 0800 612 7014 or email info@gravitaslaw.co.uk
Dec/090
25th Anniversary of the Great Miners Strike
This christmas marks the 25 years since victimised miners last received a wage. The National Justice for Miners Campaign has been working to help every sacked miner receive some Justice.
To date, none of them have and so the campaign is still prevelant today.
Shockingly after so many years of a “Labour” Government being in power they have yet to carry out any of the resolutions which were passed at the 1985 Party Conference in Bournemouth.
Labour had voted overwhelmingly, to reinstate every one of the victimised miners whom have been left with savagely damaged pensions and no form of redundancy. A hard punishment for the crime of supporting their trade union and trying to protect the future of the coal mining industry.
If you wish to support the Justice for Miners Campaign you can purchase a new Justice for Mineworkers badge to record 25 years since the strike. Price £5.50 per badge.
More information on how to purchase a badge and the campaign is available from http://www.justiceformineworkers.org.uk
Nov/094
Miners urged to have the VWF settlements reasssed
Are you one of the estimated 50,000+ claimants who were mis-advised or “short-changed” in relation to a claim for coal health compensation?
Following analysis of the administration of the compensation schemes for vibration white finger, a number of potential areas have been identified where solicitors have not properly advised claimants, or have undersettled claims.
You will probably not know the answers to these.
Let us assess this for you FREE OF CHARGE, you may be entitled to more compensation.
Oct/090
Miners rally for legal action against legal adviser
Hundreds of injured former coal miners are being rallied to sue their legal adviser in the first coordinated legal action for alleged under-settling of government compensation claims, it can be revealed.
Gravitas law are gathering potential claimants to sue their former legal adviser for negligence. It Is alleged that the legal adviser instructed miners not to lodge claims for a potentially lucrative type of damages, meaning that miners received less compensation than they were owed.
It is alleged that thousands of former miners across the UK are collectively owed hundreds of millions of pounds for under-settled claims – far more than they are owed for fees that some legal advisers deducted from compensation awards.
He said: ‘We are talking about reclaiming money that people need in order to live. There could be more group actions following on from this one.’ He is currently looking for a lawyer to take on the case.
Calls arre being amplified to the Department of Energy and Climate Change, which has responsibility for the compensation schemes, to conduct a full investigation into the alleged under-settlement of miners’ claims by solicitors and claims handlers. Earlier this year, David Anderson, Labour MP for Blaydon and chair of the All-Party Coalfield Communities Group, called for an investigation at a meeting with David Kidney, junior minister at the DECC.
Aug/090
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
All the information you will ever need…
If you’re ill or disabled because of disease or deafness caused by certain types of work, you may be able to claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit for diseases and deafness.
Who is eligible?
You can claim if you were employed in a job that caused you to suffer from any of the following:
- a disease caused by working with asbestos
- asthma
- chronic bronchitis or emphysema
- deafness
- pneumoconiosis (including silicosis and asbestosis)
- tenosynovitis
- vibration white finger
- any other illness covered by the Industrial Injuries Scheme
You can get a full list of illnesses from your regional Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit Delivery Centre.
Who isn’t eligible?
You can’t claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit if you were self-employed in work that caused your disease or deafness.
How much do you get?
Your individual circumstances including your age and the severity of your disability - assessed by your doctor on a scale of one to 100 per cent - will affect the level of benefit you may get.
All amounts are a guide only:
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Assessed level of disablement Aged over 18 (weekly amount) / Aged under 18 with no dependants (weekly amount):
100% £143.60 / £88.05
90% £129.24 / £79.25
80% £114.88 / £70.44
70% £100.52 / £61.64
60% £86.16 / £52.83
50% £71.80 / £44.03
40% £57.44 / £35.22
30% £43.08 / £26.42
20% £28.72 / £17.61
How it’s paid
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and related benefits are paid directly into your bank, building society or Post Office® card account.
If you’re registered blind or need someone who cares for you to collect the money, a cheque can be sent to cash at the Post Office®.
Source: Direct.gov.uk
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What else should I know?
There are specific rules for each disease which may affect your entitlement to Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. Contact your Jobcentre Plus office if you need further advice.
If you get Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit at 100 per cent rate and need daily care and attention, you may get Constant Attendance Allowance (CAA). This is paid at four different rates.
If you get Exceptional or Intermediate rate CAA and you need permanent constant care and attention, you may also get Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance.
If you have recently come from abroad there are some extra rules.
We may need to contact your employer to check what jobs you have worked in.
We may need you to have a medical examination. The doctor will give us advice about:
- whether you have one of the diseases covered by the scheme
- how seriously you are disabled
- how long they expect your disablement to last.
If you want to know whether a disease is covered by the scheme, check with your Jobcentre Plus office or consult the list of diseases covered by the scheme.
Source: Job Centre Plus
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A Note for Carers
If you care for someone who is claiming Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate, or is intending to claim for this, you are likely to be entitled to Carer’s Allowance. You may wish to consider claiming for this at the same time. There is a separate leaflet about Carer’s Allowance. Also, consider asking advice from one of the sources listed below about all your benefit entitlements..
For people with disabilities, their carers and representatives. It is part of the Department for Work and Pensions. BEL offers confidential advice and information on benefits and how to claim them. In addition they can also send out an extensive range of leaflets and claim packs, and can help you to complete a claim form over the phone..
Directgov
Web: www.direct.gov.uk
Directgov brings together the widest range of public service information and services online.
Produced by the Central Office of Information, Directgov provides information from across UK government departments on topics ranging from travel safety and parental leave, to special educational needs, local NHS services, and benefits. The site also brings together an increasing number of online government services - including being able to download and/or complete certain benefit claim forms online..
Citizens Advice Bureau
Provides independent advice on many issues including benefits. Listed in the phone book under ‘Citizens Advice Bureaux’. Also, see their excellent website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk.
Department for Work and Pensions
Their website provides a list of claim forms that you can download or fill in online for benefits, allowances, pensions and other payments - www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/claim_forms.asp
Contact details of their local offices (Jobcentre Plus offices and other ’social security’ offices) can usually be found in the phone book under ‘Jobcentre Plus’.
Aug/0927
Miner’s Knee claims - New advice on making a claim
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Yvette Cooper, today said that coal miners suffering from miner’s knee should be able to claim the newly available Industrial Disablement Benefit. As the condition is compounded by repetition of a period of time, the criteria for claiming is that the miner has worked as a miner for 10 or more years.
As of 13th July miners who now have osteoarthritis of the knee can now also claim.
However, unlike with Vibration White Finger (VWF) - a common cause for claim and complaint in the 90’s, the DWP are now recommending that claimants contact Jobcentre Plus website directly to find out if they can claim. Consumer Help has reservations over the effectiveness of going through a Government body to make a claim that will ultimately be coming out of the Government kitty.
Would it be wise to trust another Government body? Will they act on your behalf in the same stubborn way as a solicitor would? Will your claim be settled as quickly and efficiently as with a solicitor? These are all the questions we have been asking ourselves since the story broke earlier this month.
At the same time, we can also appreciate why the DWP are recommending going through the Jobcentre Plus. “In 2008 Jim Beresford and Douglas Smith, of Doncaster-based Beresfords Solicitors, were struck off for taking millions of pounds of compensation payouts given to sick miners.” Source: BBC News
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