British Coal Corporation v Smith [1996] IRLR 404 is a UK labour law case, concerning equal pay.
Three collective agreements covered canteen, clerical and surface mineworkers who were British Coal employees.
The Tribunal held that the bonuses were ‘locally varied fulfilment of the same universally accepted central terms’.
Balcombe LJ [1994] ICR 810 overturned this, arguing under the Equal Pay Act 1970 section 1(6) that conditions needed to be the same if one chose a comparator at a different establishment - and not broadly or essentially similar terms.
Lord Slynn restored the tribunal, saying, ‘the terms and conditions do not have to be identical’, just ‘substantially comparable’.