Laid-off mine workers who blocked $1m coal train for two months awarded $5m back-pay

Mine workers who were left without a job and refused back-pay realised they still had a $1m bargaining chip

The bankruptcy of Blackjewel led to hundreds of job losses

Hundreds of miners who blocked a coal train for two months have negotiated a $5.1m deal from the mine’s owner.

Blackjewel filed for bankruptcy in July without giving any advance warning or posting a bond to cover the payroll, which is a legal requirement in the state.

As a result, the pay cheques of more than 650 miners at Black Mountain and Lone Mountain mines bounced.

But with a final load of coal worth more than $1m still to be shipped out, the workers - owed an average of $4,200 each - spotted an opportunity.

They blocked blocked it for two months in protest, with a small camp on the tracks quickly growing into a small tent city.

The protest started with just a handful of people and grew into a small tent city

Some sat in chairs to form a human chain across the tracks and holding signs that said: 'No pay, we stay'.

A Blackjewel settlement will see around 1,700 across the company - including the Kentucky miners - awarded their back pay.

An aerial shot of the site, after miners realised they had a $1m bargaining chip

However, none of them have been reimbursed for their employee benefits such as retirement contributions and holiday pay.

One former miner told CNN that they are all ‘relieved’ as the money arrived in time for the holiday season.

Even Bernie Sanders joined their fight for the money they were owed

Last Friday, Democratic candidate Senator Bernie Sanders reportedly sent 18 pizzas to them as he attempted to raise awareness of the ongoing dispute.

Demand for coal has fallen in the US, with the number of active mines decreasing by more than half since 2008.