Strikes bring Polish retreat on mine closures

The Polish government has withdrawn plans to close pits following strikes and other actions by the country’s miners. In a statement, the Polish prime minister Ewa Kopacz said: “The Polish government wants to base energy security on Polish coal”.

Dominik Kolorz, regional head of the Solidarnosc trade union in Poland’s main coal producing region said that the key fact was that “pits previously marked down for liquidation will remain open”.