“STAY-IN” STRIKE

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1937, Page 4

“STAY-IN” STRIKE

WALLARAH MINERS SYDNEY, March 5. I Australia’s first “stay-in” strike —at r the North Wallarah colliery, in the Newcastle district —ended after thirty miners for thirty-eight hours had barricaded themselves in the pit behind wood and metal barriers charged with electricity. The men spent their time below in community singing and discussing Australia’s prospects in the fifth Test, match, the scores in which filtered down to them. Their ordeal was trying. r l’he men came to the surface only when their union officials assured them that their demands had been conceded. The wives of three of the miners wore given tlie credit for settling the strike. ' After the .miners had barricaded I themselves in the mine, their wives! cooked provisions which they hoped' to get down to the men. When the. women attempted to take the food to :

the strikers, (he police would not allow them to go near the pithead. The women were disappointed. Some wept, others shouted, and a. few threatened to break through the police cordon

■ j round the entrance to the tunnel. There were threats of an ugly scene, ■jbut union officials calmed the women. The officials were, permitted to speak / through the mine telephone to the 1 strikers, and three of the women stood near them during the conversation. J'i’he strikers repeated that they were all right, and that they were determined to stay in the mine until their forms were, granted. "If needs be.” they added, "we will die here for the

principle involved.” . A message was sent to the ofhcials that one of the strikers had collapsed, and it was considered advisable to have him removed from the mine. T he strikers permitted only two ambulance men to pass their barricade. Explosives had been arranged in such a way that the place resembled a front-line trench in the Great War. Hand grenades had been made with detonators and gelignite. A hole was made in I the barricades just large enough for the ambulance men to squeeze through. I The men had locked themselves in a portion of flic mine where there was no electric light, and, through darkness, tiie ambulance men, with the aid of torches, found the sick miner in a state of collapse. He pleaded to be left with his mates, but the ambulance men insisted that they should take him out. The darkness and the damp floor of the tunnel ■with a strong current of cold air from the ventilation shaft exposed him to all kinds of risks. Oxygen had to be given to the sick man before he’could be roused from his comatose state.

As the ambulance drove through the crowds waiting about (lie entrance to the mine property, the anger of many of the women was aroused. Union officials had another talk witii the strikers, and as a result three of the miners’ wives were delegated to interview the mine manager. A proces-

sion of about 250, mostly women and 'children, led by the three women, (moved towards the manager’s’ home.

After their interview with him, the three women said that he had accepted an offer made by the strikers, and

union officials went back to the colliery and informed the men. The miners cheered in the darkness behind

the barricades, but said that an agreement would have to be signed. As soon as this was done the stayin strikerspulied down the strong barricades. placed all the explosives safely away, and took the detonators from the gelignite’hand grenades. The brattice which had been held ready to keep the air in the mine fresh—the miners believed that an attempt might be made to smoke them out —was also re-turned-to its proper place, and before they came out of the mine everything was left ready for the immediate resumption of work.

A few wives at the entrance to the tunnel embrace* their husbands as they came out and then a procession for fftrmed, the miners riding their bicycles slowly back to Swansea, a nearby township, their lamps shining through the darkness. As they approached a hall, where they were welcomed, motor horns were sounded, everyone cheered, and some of the wives danced on the main Sydney road. The celebrations lasted long into the night.