Labour Research October 2020

European news

Polish miners’ strike

Miners in Poland’s Silesian coalfields have started an underground strike to call for greater government support in plans to reduce the country’s dependence on coal.

The fear is that the current proposals, which foresee the closure of the country’s deep mines by 2036-37, will have a catastrophic impact on the region both economically and socially.

The miners are calling for the shift away from coal to be extended to 40 years and for new jobs to replace those being lost.