Miners Absenteeism

Where do all the miners go on a Monday? With an average of forty percent of miners staying away from work at the start of the week, what are they all doing and can the industry cope?

The Chairman of the National Coal Board, Lord Robens, is not happy with the increasing levels of absenteeism in the industry. With many miners choosing not to work on a Monday, Reg Harcourt talks to a group of men from the Black Country preparing to go on a shift. Why are so many of their fellow workers staying away? Is it the hard physical work or, as some suggest, are they spending too long in the pub over the weekend?