The Enmore Incident in British Guyana 1948

By 1948, most sugar workers in the crown colony of British Guyana (also British Guiana) favored representation by the Guyana Industrial Workers Union (GIWU). The Sugar Producers Association (SPA) maintained that negotiations would only be conducted with the recognized union, the Man Power Citizens Association (MPCA). Finally, on April 22, 1948, cane cutters, backed by the GIWU, went on strike demanding changes to their terms of employment as well as higher wages and improved living conditions on the estates. However, the real aim of the strike was to achieve recognition of the GIWU as the bargaining union for all the field and factory workers in the sugar industry. The strike also obtained political support from the leftist Political Affairs Committee (PAC), and the workers were addressed at numerous public meetings by its leader, Dr. Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan and leaders of the GIWU. Dr. Jagan himself was personally involved in the organization of the strike, and helped to raise funds across the country for it. Janet Jagan was also in the forefront in operating soup kitchens for the striking workers and their families.

With sugar production seriously affected by the ongoing strike, the sugar estates hired scab labor and enticed some workers to return to work. In retaliation, strikers went to the fields and chased them away, and in some cases physically attacked them. On 14 June the SPA and the MPCA met to discuss the issues raised by the strike, but no satisfactory agreement was reached. In any case, the workers were not prepared to accept any agreement that the MPCA was negotiating, since they felt very strongly that the union was betraying their interests. On the following day, some strikers attacked overseers and some strike-breakers at Nonpariel, and in the evening there were reports of vandalism, including the cutting of telephone lines between Georgetown and Enmore.

Early on the morning of June 16 a crowd of about 400 workers gathered outside the factory at Enmore for a protest and picketing exercise. The management of Enmore Estate was expecting this action, and on the evening before had requested assistance from the police. Lance Corporal James and six policemen, each armed with a rifle and six rounds of ammunition, arrived from Georgetown in the early morning. By about 6:00am, the policemen had taken up guard positions in the factory compound which was protected by a fence 15 feet high and crowned with rows of barbed wire. By 10:00am the crowd had grown to between 500 and 600 persons. Some of the protesters attempted to enter the compound through the gates and through two gaps in the fence at the rear of the factory. They were prevented from doing so because the gates were locked and the gaps were guarded by policemen. Elements of the mob then hurled bricks and sticks at the policemen, and several persons managed to enter the compound in the rear of the factory. The policemen tried to push back the crowd, but after this effort failed, they opened fire and five workers were killed and fourteen others were injured. On June 17, the funeral of the slain men saw a massive crowd of people marching behind their coffins from Enmore to La Repentir Cemetery in Georgetown, a distance of more than 16 miles. This procession of thousands was led by Dr. Cheddi Jagan and PAC and GIWU leaders. Those who died, through the years, became known as the Enmore Martyrs.

To investigate the shooting, the Governor, Sir Charles Wooley, appointed a commission of enquiry headed by Frederick Boland, a Supreme Court judge. The two other members of the commission were S. L. Van Batenburg Stafford and R. S. Persaud. Evidence was collected from 64 persons and a report was presented in August 1948. Dr. Jagan, Janet Jagan and Dr. Lachmansingh refused to testify before the commission because they felt it was a waste of time owing to the fact that the commission chairman and members were openly showing a bias towards the police and the management of Enmore Estate. In their testimony to the Commission, policemen involved in the shooting claimed that they were forced to shoot to protect the factory from destruction or damage and to protect the lives of workers who were on the premises. The report, as widely expected, justified the shooting. But it criticised the police for not applying alternative measures, such as the use to tear gas, to keep the crowd away from the factory compound. The members of the commission also felt that the shooting period went beyond what was reasonable.

References

The Enmore Martyrs; Guyana - A Country Study.

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