In 1984,
with the UK miners’ strike at its peak, I decided to travel to Britain and
document the dispute. Born in Wales, and with a godfather who was managing
director of the Llanelli-based mining supplies company Thyssen Schachtbau Great
Britain Ltd., I imagined it would be easy to get close to the action.
Yet the
strike was brutal and had torn a rift through British society. People were wary
of me, as an outsider, and so I was limited to photographing events on the
periphery, but not the striking miners and their various activities. The tide
turned when I resolved to travel to the heart of the strike in Yorkshire and
there met the activist Stuart “Spud” Marshall. Spud trusted me immediately and
opened the door to photograph not only the heat of the action but also more
intimate moments beyond the picketing. I photographed soup kitchens, meetings
behind closed doors, and the wives of striking miners who first became
politically active through their help and support in organizing the protest. I
photographed families at home or with friends at occasional festivities, and
striking miners picking low-grade coal to heat their houses. I documented the
pride and courage of workers who were deeply rooted in the mining community.
The strike
of 1984/85 was the last significant labour dispute in the UK. It marked the end
of an era and the beginning of a new age of industrial relations, both in
Britain and beyond. The documentation shows how this process shaped the lives
of many and how it transformed the country forever. Nearly 30 years after the
strike, I returned to record the changes. These photographs, including some of
“Spud”, who still lives there, are also included in the book
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All images © Michael
Kerstgens
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