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Coll 28/85S (1) ‘Persia. Abadan and S. W. Persian oilfields; Protection of British interests.’ [‎16r] (31/1113)

The record is made up of 1 file (555 folios). It was created in 27 Mar 1946-28 Feb 1948. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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$ X € & ft f
&u...£Srig
British Consulate*
Khor-raiasly&hr.
Dated the 23rd August* 1D4? #
/ ~ J ®
t f* -^jadly ref^r te ^ Tee ?TOret despatch
*o« SlVf o f the a4th wia/y UK? t
2 # 1 oncioee a eoiy oT the General -ena 4 er f a reply
to g^y ietter• together with a detailed eosetstentary on the
fipieraneer or t c Indian Bt*ff Baployee* of the ^nrlo*
Iranian Oil Cors^aojul
1 now been able to obtain the reaoticms of
the Indian Staff hssployeos to the Company's coc^entary
on thslr grievances| they are as follows t~
. (*) jSSi£S italic tl*e* eoploy-M* or* not ^rtlcularly
Inters9t*a in the grlev*ness of their Junior colleagues.
;h«y are extreseljr well pail} they earn far better
s alar ies than they Ci=ul<i ewer hope to obtain In their own
country. They are well iwused ~ looked after, and have
aanaged to savr considerable sues of woney since they here
been In Company eetploy. They are loyal and reliable.
V thst thalr juniors arc agitating for lw,prova-
a^ts and that if they suecaed in t^iclr effort* tbe f ardor a
will also benefit| but they do not intend to Initiate
anything Uaaselvci. realising as they do that tr»y are on
an extr^Koly go^rd wicket. They umber 149 cait of a total
of 788 Indian htaff aarployees*
(W ,- .yff mmhmr 03^. ihey are represented by abai
naif a doasn sol f winter e ^ ted ookesnar. who are at 111 voci
ferous In their allegationa that the Gosspany diarariKlnate
against the Indian Staff as a wlxole. The/ return to the
charge and my that the Caapany have aide tracked the real
isrjms with the m^eeroua arguments they keep in reserve*
Their aain grievance' la that they are disfatisfied with
their present status and define this tena as bel?^ "the
way of life which favours equality In all aso&cts md allows
equal opportunities for work and ptaaatlcag irrer^ctive of
natlcmallty*** As aaaftars of the britisti Coa^mweelth. they
argue that they are entitled to the same status as the
British Staff.
4. I hem discussed these further developiscnts with
the Ceaeral Manager. ft*» Ivor Jones* and with the Manager.
General idislnistration* Hr. Carruthere. Ivor Jones
repeated in effect wi^at he had said in his letter to m
of ths 3rd July* ana added that the Constitutional changes
in India ecul< have no bearing whatsoever on the industrial
relations between Indian rtaff employees and the Cc&’jem*
The Indians who were recruited In India wdro well gtrare of
the ccnditicng cf ccrvlce* and were at liberty to resign
at a month 1 * notice and return to their own country If
Excellency thev
J*B* he Uougetoi* fsq., K.C*H*G. f M # C # *
His Majesty 1 * Ambassador.
• • •«

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Content

Papers relating to strikes and social unrest amongst workers on the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company’s (AIOC) oilfields in southern Iran (frequently referred to as Persia throughout the file), and the AIOC refinery at Abadan. The file’s principal correspondents include: the British Ambassador at Tehran, John Haller Le Rougetel; the Counsellor for Indian Affairs at the British Embassy in Tehran, Clarmont Percival Skrine; the Foreign Office.

The file covers: initial reports of unrest at Abadan in May 1946; the Tudeh Party of Iran’s perceived involvement in fomenting unrest amongst AIOC employees; unrest amongst Indian AIOC employees, and discussion amongst British officials over plans to repatriate perceived ringleaders back to India; the despatch of Indian troops to Shaiba [Shu‘aybah] in Iraq, that could be deployed to quell social unrest in southern Iran if required; accounts of events on 14 July 1946, in which violent clashes occurred between socialist activists associated with the Tudeh Party who supported AIOC workers, and representatives of the Arab Tribal Union; a facsimile of an account of the events 14 July 1946 written by Vere William Digby Willoughby, British Consul at Khorramshahr (ff 214-249); a report on working and living conditions for Indian AIOC employees, submitted by the Indian Press Officer attached to the British Embassy in Tehran (ff 170-181); a report entitled ‘Social and municipal development carried out by the Anglo-Iranian Company, Limited, in Abadan and the south Persian oilfields’, submitted by the AIOC Chairman, William Fraser (ff 143-162); a report on AIOC labour conditions in Iran, submitted by K J Hird, Labour Attaché at the British Embassy in Tehran, dated 31 December 1946 (ff 87-101); the withdrawal of Indian troops from Shaiba in April 1947, in response to a stabilisation of the political situation in Iran; quarterly reports on affairs at AIOC, prepared by HM Consul-General at Khorramshahr, describing worker morale, potentially subversive activities, social improvements for workers, etc.

Extent and format
1 file (555 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in approximate chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 557; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

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English in Latin script
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Coll 28/85S (1) ‘Persia. Abadan and S. W. Persian oilfields; Protection of British interests.’ [‎16r] (31/1113), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3490A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100085059433.0x000022> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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