Coll 28/120 ‘Persia. Ahwaz – Consular diaries.’ [‎252r] (504/669)

(^0). Jn S3rd, tHe workers in the Cotton upinning l^attory
lejft the j , «.etory at the lunch hour proclaiming they were
\Xnited, and went on strike* buhsequex.tly the Workers Union
wrote to the Directors, demanding higher wages, shorter hours,
better conditions etc. There was no disorder. The Chief of
Police, who the following morning harangued the strikers,
that they should make n* disturbance and promised to make a
report to the Governor-General, Misbah, who repeats at inter
vals that he does not know anything,about such matters, as
usual formed a Commission* The Directors have agreed to'
Reduce the working day from ten to eight hours, and to provide
greater medical facilities and baths etc, and the strike ended
pn 25th. ^he question of wages is still under consideration,
but It is believed that the directors have plucked up suff
icient courage to withstand these intimidatory methods, and
that no general raise will be given. ,
(ii). It is quite clear that this strike was enginetred
as a trial of strength by the Workers Union. r "he wages, al
though lower than those paid by the A*I»O.C. are not dis
gracefully so; and it is worthy of comment that.at a time
when labour was scarce in Ahwaz, there was no tendency /or
workers to leave the opinning factory An East India Company trading post. in order to find work
with the n.I.u.O. Many of the workers hsd no idea why tfcey
were striking; and it is highly undesirable that any gr*at
success should be achieved on this occasion by the intriguing
of the Union for purely political ends. It is stated thlt
wnen the Governor-General referred to the A.I.J.C. wages as a
standard on which to work, the Union repr sentative (one of
the agitators from Tehran, not a Itcal worker) replied t?iat
A.I.O.C. wages were quite inadequate and that something gould
be done about that in the future.
j A I
(12). The Union has elected as its •fficers Ashofct-ii ;as
President and Ali Ornid as Vice President. A Tudeh Part?
^committee is also understood to have been formed, the leading
light of which is Attarzadeh, wh# had been released frtm prison
(see para 18 of Diary 14, 1944) a few days befoe the strike.
All these three are agitators sent down from the North. The
Tudeh Party are reported to have invited Dr.Ahmed Alevi (
para 9 of Diary 15) to become an Honorary Member, which in-- v
vitation he has refused.
(15). B urujird . Reffironce para 1 of Diary 1, it is leamt f
that the" Governor of Burujird has gtcwn weary of Falahetis
activities, and after incojneluaive reference to the Governor-
General, decided to put him into jail. He was probably
•tirred to this by the arrival of three Tudeh workers from
Tehran,
(14) , becurity. Eight spans of copper wire were stolar. from
the A.1.0.0. telephone line within the Gach oaran area, the
thieves being either Bavi or Darashuri.
(15) . \ A general increase in raiding is reported ifi the
Dasht-i-Miahan area, following on the disarmament. ?h*e
raiding is put down chiefly to tribes frem Iraq.
X C 0 N 0 M I C.
(16) . Prices tended to rise early in the month, in anti
cipation of the removal of Dr.Millapaugh’s economic powers;
and when the law was, finally passed, it had no additional
effect. Instead it was offset by the war news, and by the end
of the month, prices were lower than at the beginning. The
/movement