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Peter.
I don't want to get into another political debate over what happened but I think your perspective of the coal industry was/is wrong.
It was not about £per ton = wages and it was not a typical business.
1 open coalmine = whole family being supported with future work for siblings, other manufacturing business's local businesses ,schools, shops, cafes, welfare clubs pubs, medical centre's, bus routes, churches, sports groups, musical groups, choirs and much more. No wages were sent to Cayman Islands (some might have gone to Benidorm on a week's holiday) they all paid their weekly due "Tax" and the rest was spent mainly within those communities.
1 closed coalmine = the loss of all above.
The cost of keeping a viable colliery open was far less costly than shutting one.