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Coll 28/85S (1) ‘Persia. Abadan and S. W. Persian oilfields; Protection of British interests.’ [‎25r] (49/1113)

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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J
i
COPY.
(E 7254/368i+/34)
FOP SECRET
Oil Compan,
io
1 the Quarter April-June
msi-
.1
14* Indians. It h
the Indians (Senior a
becoming increasingly
X J 7 j
been evid
in Junior St
5nt for some months past that
iff) of the Company were
a result of certain crievan-
v o ^ Uli.'iS I. L -L i id UJ. X : UJ U
obtain a sympathetic hearing from the General Management. I
therefore decided to establish direct contact with the Indian
employees in order to discover the nature of these grievances
and I accordingly visited the ’’Indian Club” on 23rd April with
my Publicity Assistant. A long discussion took place, and a
number of interesting points emerged in the course of the
conversations. The Indians stated that this was the first
time that any Consular Official had shown a direct interest
in their welfare and that it had never occurred to them that
he was anything but a tool of the Company or that he was inter
ested in helping them. They went on to say that they were
deeply concerned about their status vis-a-vis other Company
employees and that there were a number of grievances which they
would like to bring to my notice if I was interested in hearing
them. They then went into detail in regard to the discrimina
tion shown against them. I asked them to reduce their com
plaints to paper and a list was eventually received ennumerating
their grievances. These included the question of their status
vis-a-vis their Iranian colleagues, the poor accommodation
allotted to them, the inadequacy of allowances when they are
on leave, discrimination between Indian and Iranian doctors
etc. This list was sent to the General Manager and the Company
have taken steps to relieve some of their difficulties, while
other grievances are still under consideration. The matter is
one of considerable delicacy for the Company. While they
fully appreciate the value of their Indian employees, they fear
that any attempts to raise their status would*incur the dis
pleasure of the Tehran Government who in any case keep reminding
them from time to time of the desirability of replacing the
Indians by Iranian nationals. The interest shown by His
Majesty’s Consulate in their affairs has however considerably
heartened the Indians, who now approach us unhesitatingly with
their grievances and difficulties.
15* A number of visits have also been paid to the Hindustan
(Indian Labour) Club and close contact is being maintained with
the members. The provision of certain facilities for the
Indian artisans has been taken up with the Company.
16. A communal resturant for the Indian artisans was opened
in the Bahmanshir area early in June. More than 200 artisans
became regular patrons, when, at the end of the month, the con
tractor discovered that he was running the resturant at a loss.
This was apparently due to the fact that the Company had stopped
issuing him with certain essential commodities and he was forced
to purchase these in the local market where prices are consider
ably higher. He therefore raised the price of meals, which the
artisans found too expensive. They therefore decided to make
their own arrangements. At the end of June, there were only
25 artisans patronising the resturant and the Labour Office
intend to call a meeting of the Indian artisans and the Contract
or and to arbitrate in the matter of the future rates of meals.
Allegations have however since been made by the Contractor which
indicate that this is yet another ’’racket” in which certain
members of the Company Staff are involved. He has submitted a
statement to the General Manager alleging that he was persuaded
to/

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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.’ [‎25r] (49/1113), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3490A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100085059433.0x000034> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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