Last deep-cast coal mine in Britain closes



LONDON: -- Britain’s last deep-cast coal mine has closed, marking the end of an era for the industry which in its heyday employed well over a million people.

Kellingley Colliery in North Yorkshire is shutting down with the expected loss of 450 jobs, half a century after it opened.

Owners UK Coal went into administration in 2013 after struggling with rising costs, hefty pension liabilities and strong competition from cheaper coal imports.

“I’ve been here 38 years, there’s a lot of coal left, it’s just they say it’s not viable to take it. It was sad when we stopped coaling today,” said one worker.

Underground coal mining has become unprofitable in Britain in the face of cheaper foreign imports, falling demand and a government drive away from carbon-intensive power generation.

Coal-fired power stations provide about a third of the country’s electricity but many more are due to close for economic and environmental reasons.


-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-12-21

They should cut the pension benefits so they can keep the mine open.

Britain why dont you charge a tariff on the imported coal, there are very few jobs created by imports,

why keep mines open? fossil fuels are the past not the future. My dad was a miner all his life, in his view nobody should have to earn a living underground in those conditions, it was brutal, hard and unhealthy. He thought Scargill was an f ing idiot. Before anyone brings Thatcher up the Labour party closed 10x the amount of mines that she did.

News like this could cause Scargill at the age of 77 to have a MINER heart attack.

They should cut the pension benefits so they can keep the mine open.

They should never cut pension! That man working hard for 38 years in a dirty coal mine deserves his Full Pension and not be told on his last year his Pension will be cut in half to save a job for new employees.

A wage cut might help starting at the top and working its way all the way down. This doesn't effect Retirement to much after you have a lot of years in. Early Retirement and not hiring more staff might help also. But in most case with a technically old outdated mine of any kind, it is better to let a died horse die. It doesn't much matter if there is still coal there, if it is not feasible to pull it out of the ground.

But to me it is almost Criminal for a company to cut a mans pension after so many years of loyal service. I still shiver to think of all those people who lost there Pensions through Enron, yet the top dogs walked away with millions in payments.