Asturias miners march reaches Madrid

Miners from Asturias in northern Spain have been on strike since May, occupying pits underground and fighting for the survival of their mining towns, threatened with a huge cut in government subsidies.

Some embarked on a long march for jobs to the capital to voice their concerns. On Monday they arrived on the outskirts of Madrid to bring the message to the heart of government; our communities are dying.

“We want the agreement signed in 2006, the Coal Plan. It has been signed since 2006. What they have to do is to keep it, nothing more. That’s all we want. We do not want more money,” said one miner.

Around 10,000 people are employed in Spain’s mines, which have been loss-making for a century, but on which depend scores of towns and villages. That is why these workers walked 270 miles, and why they will fight to the bitter end.

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