In May 1952, the coal town of Collinsville became the stage for one of Queensland’s most remarkable industrial actions. Known as the “stay down strike”, it saw 150 miners at the State Coal Mine refuse to return to the surface, remaining underground for more than a week in protest over safety conditions and treatment on the job. It was the first strike of its kind in Queensland and quickly gained national attention.
The dispute began on 1 May 1952, sparked when management failed to provide a winchman to operate essential equipment. Miners, already frustrated by poor ventilation and concerned for their safety, decided to take a stand. Instead of coming up at the end of their shift, they stayed underground in what became a powerful and symbolic act of defiance.
The stay down continued day after day, drawing in not only the miners but also their families, the broader Collinsville community, and the national press.
Conditions underground were harsh. Reports described miners enduring poor air circulation, heat and fatigue. To support them, families and supporters sent food, blankets and letters of encouragement down into the pit.
On the surface, wives, children and townspeople gathered daily, waiting anxiously for updates. One miner later recalled how hearing the cheers and songs from above helped them hold out below. Newspapers across the country carried dramatic images, including smuggled photos of bearded men in their work clothes and later, scenes of their emergence.
The commitment it took to remain underground for up to 218 hours is hard to grasp today.
It meant enduring physical hardship, missing pay, and separation from loved ones. Yet they held their ground because the cause mattered more than comfort. They knew unsafe conditions could cost lives, and unless they forced the issue, nothing would change.
When the men finally climbed back to the surface after more than a week, they were greeted with tears, embraces and the sound of a brass band. Families rushed forward, some in disbelief that their loved ones were finally safe. Photographs showed tired, pale faces, unshaven and drawn, but also proud, an image of collective resolve.
The strike was never just about wages. At its heart were safety and fairness.
The miners demanded proper ventilation, staffing of key roles, and recognition of the risks faced by those working underground. Their stand highlighted the precarious balance between production pressures and human wellbeing in Queensland’s coalfields.
By 9 May, negotiations brokered by government representatives and union leaders produced a settlement. Ventilation was to be restored immediately, and unresolved matters referred to the Coal Reference Board, the authority responsible for industrial disputes.
On 10 May, the miners finally emerged, exhausted but resolute, ending a stay down that remains one of the longest in Australian history.
The legacy of the Collinsville strike reached far beyond the small town. It drew national attention to the hazards of underground mining and gave strength to unions in pushing for reform. It also became part of Collinsville’s identity, remembered as a moment when ordinary workers put themselves at risk for the greater good.
Seventy years on, the story still resonates. It reminds us of the lengths people will go to protect each other, and of the collective courage it takes to demand change. For Collinsville, the 1952 stay down was more than a protest. It was an act of commitment that helped shape the future of Queensland mining.
Image caption: Miners underground during the 1952 ‘stay down strike’. Image credit: ourstoriesunearthed.com.au
