The World - News from Feb. 9, 1989

The coal mine at Poland’s giant Belchatow power complex was shut down by a strike, state television and the Solidarity trade union reported. State television said 4,000 workers were on strike, while the Solidarity Information Service put the number at 8,000. The power complex employs 12,500 workers; they are seeking a pay increase of about $59. The official average wage is about $145 a month. The shutdown came while a group of about 40 Solidarity and government representatives met in Warsaw, trying to reach a consensus on the nation’s economic problems.