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Coll 28/85S (1) ‘Persia. Abadan and S. W. Persian oilfields; Protection of British interests.’ [‎17r] (33/1113)

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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7*
«* 2 «*
th«y wore dissatisfied >dth conditions in ^t«dan 9 fbe
Conpany wer© drlng their utmoct to euike the» as ootafortable
as possible under the existing difficult conditions} if
tuey had any grievances they were able to ventilate tliem
through the noraal channels of their own Consultative
Cmalttee* They would al^ys receive a ayssMit&etle
liearingt for it was in the interests of the Compmy that
they should be contented# At tf«e erne tia*. %m enege*
aent feel that it would be against the interests of the
Coepnny to harbour elements in their fi&dst who were known
to be disloyal f and who spent most of their ti®e in
inciting others to disloyalty* It would be batter for
all concerned if such dissatisfied elements were not given
an opportunity to renew their contracts when they eapire#
The sane principle applied to the British staff.' I think
this attitude la not unreasonable* especially in a place
like ibadsn where loyalty to the Company Is such an
important factor in times of stress* On tfeo whole* the
Indian staff in C<sapany employ are extressely well p^id*
well locked after and well treated*
5* After careful consideration f I have reached the
conclusion that no useful purpose would be served by
further interference on ny part* I do not think there
is <my real injustice* The settleaent of these matters
is primarily the responsibility of the Company# Host of
the problem* of the Indi&n Btaff are capable of solution
through their Consultative Committee* Ihe Company admit
that the position as regards housing and furniture is not
as good aa it might be| but this applies to all staff,
and it will be tome tl»e before the Cespany’s vast honsing
prorraner reech anywhere near cocpletion# Indians-'at
from
Knaland* To far as their <l ftetus ,t is concerned, it is
difficult, under the eirwwwstancea* to see at at iisprov^sent
the C-ewwaasy cm make in this direction* It has been the
Company** Intention for some tlm to do sway with such
eies*iflections as "fenior* and "Junior", "Iranian* and
w Indian ,, staff* It is proposed to na©© all employees of
the CeftfNuayt ot)>«r then those engaged in actual labour, at
* taff*j irrespective of whether they are British* Indian
or Iranian* It stands to reason, howevdr, that there
must, in effect, be senior and junior grades according to
the scales of pay* and that the senior grades will be en
titled to more privileges than the Junior.
6* As a result of the conclusions I hnva drawn in this
ease, X have informed the spoke-ssen of the Junior Indian
itafr that they should submit their gri vances to the
General sragessent through the normal channels i*e* tlirough
the fsedium of their Consultative Cosaslttee, and that they
way rest astrured that the Company will be only too willing
to give them a sympathetic hearing* I trust that this
action will meet with four £xe*lleney f s approval* I a»
satisfied that the inters t we have displayed in the wel
fare of tin* Indian employees of the Cmpmiy will be a
sufficient guarantee that the General Management will do
their be«t to make then as contested as possible*

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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.’ [‎17r] (33/1113), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3490A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100085059433.0x000024> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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