THE subject of coal continues to stir strong passions in our region.

Thirty years ago an industry which, at its peak, had employed one in 13 of all UK workers, became the battleground for one of the most bitter disputes in British industrial history when workers at Cortonwood, in South Yorkshire, voted to walk out over a decision to close their pit.

Within a week, most of Britain’s 200,000 miners were on strike, including 23,000 in the Northumberland and Durham coalfields.

The action started peacefully, but it soon became characterised by violence and the hardship suffered by the miners and their families.

Its end a year later was seen as a major political victory for Margaret Thatcher and the Conservative Party.

It proved disastrous for villages whose existence had been to provide workers to mine the coal.

In the months before the strike broke out, the Government and the National Coal Board (NCB) said they wanted to close 20 mines.

However, secret papers from the National Archives, released recently under the 30-year rule, revealed that Ian MacGregor, the NCB chief, was plotting to close 75 pits, at a cost of 65,000 jobs. The papers also showed that Mrs Thatcher had secretly considered calling out the troops at the height of the strike.

The revelations reopened old wounds among embittered miners, and this week led to calls for a public inquiry into the dispute.

Last week, I spoke to Gordon Banham, boss of coal miner Hargreaves Group, which is based at Esh Winning, in former Durham coal country.

On pages 30-31 you can read Mr Banham’s thoughts about the industry’s future.

He offers some very strong and thought-provoking arguments about the benefits that coal can still bring.

Westminster may once again appear to have turned its back on coal, but Mr Banham’s words show that it still counts for something in our region.

TODAY’S Jobs&Business includes some equally strong words from civil engineering leader Douglas Kell.

A year ago, The Northern Echo backed the region’s construction trade bodies after they urged George Osborne to support regional infrastructure.

In London, the industry is recovering rapidly thanks to billionpound projects such as Crossrail, whereas growth in our region, where projects have stalled or been downgraded, is modest.

It is disappointing to hear from Mr Kell that an industry which supports an estimated 50,000 North- East jobs is failing to get the backing it deserves. We will continue to offer construction and civil engineering a platform to get its message across.