The World : British Strike Talks Set

The two sides in Britain’s 10-month-old coal strike have patched over their differences and agreed to talks to pave the way for an end to the dispute. The miners’ union and the National Coal Board said informal talks will be held Tuesday to try to set up an agenda for full negotiations. But there was no guarantee that those negotiations would develop unless the union backs down on its central demand and agrees to consider the closure of unprofitable pits. According to the board, 3,386 more men abandoned the strike last week and 77,000 of 188,000 miners are now at work. The union disputes this figure.