Coal miners occupying a shaft 373 meters below ground on the Italian of Sardinia on Monday called off the protest following government comments that the mine would not be closed by the end of the year.

Forty miners working for the for the Carbosulcis coal company on 26 August barricaded themselves in the shaft along with with almost 700 kilograms of explosives demanding a solution to prevent the mine from closing.

A union representative was rushed to hospital last week after he slit his wrist on Italian national television in protest.

Union members are due to meet on Tuesday to determine whether they will continue the protest.

Sardinia, once one of Italy's most active mining areas, has seen the sector dying as companies board up shafts and move elsewhere to extract valuable minerals.

US aluminium giant Alcoa said it will close a Sardinian smelter after not finding a buyer. The move will cost 500 jobs.

Source - www.adnkronos.com

(www.coalguru.com)