Miners call for national memorial at Scottish Parliament

Former miners are stepping up calls for a national monument to be created in memory of those who worked in the industry.

They will make the plea for a memorial at Holyrood as they gather there to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Mick McGahey, the former Scottish president and national vice president of the National Union of Mineworkers.

Born in Shotts, North Lanarkshire in 1925, he started working in the mines immediately after leaving school at the age of 14.

Pat Egan, a former miner, paid tribute to him and said: “Mick will be remembered by the miners as a pillar of working-class communities in Scotland and we want to see that his legacy, and the legacy of the mining communities, lives on.

“This is why we are remembering Mick at the Scottish Parliament today and we are calling on the Scottish Government to continue this tradition by having a national memorial in the Parliament to those who helped build Scotland, literally, from the ground up.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We recognise the contribution made by Mick McGahey and we wish the best for the commemoration event taking place.

“Any proposals for a memorial at Holyrood would be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.”