Spanish miners strike against job cuts

Up to ten thousand Spanish miners are on strike in the northern region of Asturias to oppose plans for further job cuts in the loss-making, state-owned coal industry.

In May trade union leaders agreed a deal with the Madrid government to spread a planned thirty per cent cutback in jobs and output over four years.

But miners' leaders say the government is going back on the deal under pressure from the European Commission, which wants to set a lower ceiling on Spanish coal production and accelerate the withdrawal of subsidies.

The strike began on Friday.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service