A powerful tribute to the pits

The North East Film Archive has produced this reminder of our mining heritage: 40 years on from the end of the 1984/85 strike.

Transcript

00:00Coal. It is won by men like these.

00:04Upon them, upon their courage and skill, depends the industrial life of our country.

00:15In no section of the community are deep instinctive loyalties more powerful than among the miners.

00:21But coal has never been cheap.

00:23In sweat and toil, in risk to life and will,

00:27few commonplace things exact so heavy a toll.

00:32Miners' lives getting thrown on that fire, but still fighting for a living wage.

00:37Solidarity against the big closure programme.

00:41It was inevitable. It's one of those principles.

00:44You either sit back, load up and not stood and fight.

00:47We're wholly behind our husbands and our sons.

00:51If they close the mains around here, we have nothing.

00:57For more UN videos visit www.un.org