4 August 1941: Moengo miners strike
from On This Day in Working Class History Hosted by Working Class History
On 4 August 1941, shovel operators in the Moengo bauxite mine in the then-Dutch colony of Suriname went on strike. The walkout of mostly Javanese and Creole workers was swiftly followed by mill, shipping and tow boat crews. They were soon all offered substantial pay increases, and the strikes ended. Mill workers also had their working days reduced from 12 to eight hours per day. Powerhouse workers were then given a pay increase without a strike, and workers in the electric shop threatened to strike and were given pay increases of 30 to 40%. Workers were demanding pay increases because the cost of living had gone up with the background of World War II. And they would strike again a few months later. More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7953/moengo-miners-strike Our work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory. See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/today Browse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/date Check out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.com Check out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.com If you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History
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