TRIBUTES Have been paid in the Scottish Parliament to the resilience, generosity and community spirit of former miners living in Central Fife.

Speaking in a debate to mark the 40th anniversary of the Miners' Strike, Annabelle Ewing MSP hailed those who had taken part in the March with the Miners event in Benarty earlier this year and called on the UK Government to compensate those who were "unjustly penalised" after the strike.

"I wish to say how much I admire the former mining communities in my constituency," she said.

"They are resilient and generous and they stick up for each other. Indeed, the intense community spirit that was forged by the dangerous and dirty work that was carried out underground created an implacable bond among the communities above ground.

"What was done to those communities, to miners and to their families during the 1984-85 miners strike was utterly abhorrent, and it is beyond doubt that the scars are still deeply felt.

READ MORE: March with the Miners took place in Benarty on Saturday

"The strike involved a unique set of circumstances that saw entire communities defending their way of life and their jobs against a United Kingdom Tory Government that seemed determined to bring them to their knees by deploying the forces of the state to that end.

"Arbitrary dismissal by the National Coal Board for relatively minor acts of public disorder was the order of the day, and some were even dismissed notwithstanding that they had not been convicted but rather had been admonished or found not guilty or subject to a not proven verdict, or, indeed, had not even been brought to court at all."

Ms Ewing said dismissal brought with it financial hardship, loss of income, loss of pension rights, difficulties in obtaining future employment and miners and their families losing their "good name and their respectability".

She added: "It was important, therefore, to see, in June 2022, the enactment by this Parliament of the Miners’ Strike (Pardons) (Scotland) Act 2022.

"What we need to see now, as has been called for by a number of members this evening, is a public inquiry into the policing of the miners strike. It remains to be seen whether the new UK Labour Government will heed those calls.

"It must surely be time for the UK Government to compensate those who have been unjustly penalised by the state over the intervening years for the financial hardship that they suffered as a result of the unique set of circumstances of the miners strike.

"Let us hope that the new UK Labour Government now delivers the justice that miners and their families deserve and for which they have been waiting for so long. I am sure that we will all be watching."

READ MORE: Miners to march to Lochore Meadows for strike anniversary

Responding in Parliament, Scottish Government Minister for Employment & Investment Tom Arthur MSP said the anniversary was a "significant milestone" for those affected by the strikes.

"It means a great deal to the communities that lived through the strike," he said.

"I had the privilege and honour of attending a march, rally and exhibition in Fife earlier this year on behalf of the Scottish Government to mark the occasion. It was clear to me that the bonds of community remain as strong today as they were 40 years ago.

"The miners were the backbone of the coal industry and they fuelled our whole economy, working in dangerous and gruelling conditions.

"Their strength and solidarity, and the unwavering support of their families, are a testament to the resilience of Scotland’s communities."