04/07/2008 19:23. Jul 3 2008 by Alastair McNeill, Hamilton Advertiser

FIVE Lanarkshire shopfloor workers sacked for playing darts or watching football during a shift last week lost an unfair dismissal claim.

Senior shop steward Clark Fortune of Larkhall (with 27 years service) and Alan Howat of Blantyre (with 18 years service) were among those sacked after managers at Rolls Royce in East Kilbride visited the shop floor on October 31, 2006, during a back shift.

The fitters, who also included Gordon Campbell of East Kilbride, Alistair Hope of Thornliebank, and Andrew Coulter of Harthill, had been assigned to the V25 project, repairing and overhauling aeroengines.

Production manager John McCormick had decided to walk through the shop floor on the evening of a UEFA Champions League game between Chelsea... // Hamilton Advertiser news