The National Union of Mineworkers is not obliged to pay rent on the London flat occupied by their former president Arthur Scargill following his retirement, the High Court has decided.

The NUM provided a generous benefit for presidents of the union by purchasing a London home for them to live in during office and into retirement.  Scargill decided not to make use of this benefit.  Instead, he asked the union’s Executive Committee to pay rent on the flat in which he resided.  This was agreed.

When dispute over the benefit went to court, the question was whether the union should continue to pay the rent following Scargill’s retirement.  Scargill argued that the obligation relating to the flat replaced the benefit relating to the purchase of a house, therefore it continued post retirement.  However, the High Court found that this arrangement had not been agreed to by the Executive Committee.  In addition, a 1992 contract which obliged the union to pay rent on the flat following Scargill’s retirement was not effective as it had not been approved by the Executive Committee.