DONKEYS providing rides for youngsters on Blackpool beach enjoy better rights and protections at work than workers in Britain, the Morning Star can reveal.
Detailed regulations govern the donkeys’ treatment by their owners, with annual health inspections from a vet and checks by council officials on the donkeys’ workloads and general welfare.
In contrast, a recent TUC report revealed that protections at work for humans in Britain are the worst in the 38 countries that make up the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), of which Britain is a founding member.
Jake Radford, owner of seven donkeys on Blackpool beach, told the Morning Star his beasts — Coco, Charlie, Max, Dolly, Tilly, Bobby and Paddy — receive regular breaks and by tradition do not work on Fridays.
“It’s been like that since my grandfather started the rides when he came back from the second world war. I don’t know why,” he said.
“The council regulations also say they can’t work after 7pm.”
The donkeys’ shifts are based on the tide, with fewer hours worked on days when it is in.
They also go into pasture and rest for five months from around the second week in November until Easter the following year.
“They don’t like working when it starts to get colder,” Mr Radford said.
Many workers in Britain suffer zero-hours contracts, overwork, compulsory overtime and denial of employment and means of sustenance.
