British beach donkeys get labor code

Donkeys working at Blackpool, England's beach have won major labor concessions, including Fridays off without going on strike, The Times of London reports.

Since the Victorian era, donkey rides have been popular at Pleasure Beach, and Wednesday, city councilors enacted sweeping new bylaws to protect them.

The animals were granted a 48-hour work week, with Fridays off. However, they must line up at the beach on their days off so the council's donkey inspectors can check their hooves, ears, teeth and coats. Any owner whose animal is not up to scratch will not get an operator's license.

The council also ruled donkeys may only work between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m., and have an hour off for lunch. Each animal also must have an annual physical by a veterinarian.

The animals, which were first brought to Britain to work in mines, take tens of thousands of children on $4 rides each season.

The new rules following the European Union's decision Thursday to make Britain conform to the continental workweek.

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