Big Industry Dislocated
p. 151 · Read in the full issue
One Week’S Strike
At Fiji Sugar-Mill
Big Industry Dislocated By Agitators
A STRIKE of millworkers occurred at the Lautoka mill of the Colonial Sugar Co. in Fiji at the end of October and, lasting a week, it disrupted both milling and cane-cutting operations and caused heavy losses to the Company, the millworkers and the growers.
The men returned to work on November 3.
The strike —not approved by the Sugar Industry Employees’ Union— was organised by a small gang of irresponsible people, without any in dustrial status. It appears to have been a demonstration against two Sirdars (or Indian foremen).
A condition of the return to work was that Mr. J. B. Aitken, a senior manager of the CSR Co., should conduct an inquiry into charges against the Sirdars, in the presence of representatives of the Union and the cane-growers.
The incident has shown, again, that there is among the sugar workers —in the Lautoka section, anyway—a group of irresponsible mischief-makers, whose chief pur pose is to push the millworkers into any act likely to disrupt the in dustry.
Actually, there is quite a good re lationship between the CSR Co., the officials of the Sugar Industry Em ployees’ Union and the various organisations which represent the cane-growers. It looks af is all three must combine to stamp out the gangsters.