A CATHOLIC bishop and other Christian leaders have said they will help miners whose jobs have come under threat.
Bishop David Konstant of Leeds said this week that he and representatives of the Anglican and United Reformed churches had had a 90-minute briefing by British Coal executives, and that they would now be considering how best they could help the miners in the Yorkshire area.
British Coal last week announced job cuts at a colliery in Durham, and fears are mounting in the Yorkshire area that many of the region's pits may be in jeopardy because PowerGen may shut some of its coal-fired power stations.
"Unless there is a change in policy the future is far from bright for the British coal industry," said Bishop Konstant in a statement after his meeting.
"It faces fierce competition for sales to the privatised electricity generating industry which also uses gas and imports of cheaper coal.
"In the light of this gloomy prognosis we are seeking miners' views," said the bishop. Catholic clerics in Selby, Pontefract and Wakefield would, he said, be discussing what support they could offer miners and their families when they met next week.