Annual report on Sierra Leone / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Colonial Office.
Date:
[1951]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Sierra Leone / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    14/74 (page 12)
    There were two unofficial stoppages of work during the year. The first was at Yengeme and lasted from 30th April to 8th May, when the total labour force of approximately 2,600 workers employed by the Sierra Leone Selection Trust stopped work. The chief cause of this strike was the workers’ demand for higher wages and better conditions of employment. A Board of Inquiry was appointed, but the dispute was eventually settled by negotiation, the workers receiving an increase of Is. 4d. per day and certain improved conditions. The importanl feature of this dispute was the contention of the workers’ leaders that the existence of a statutory body for fixing minimum rates of wages does not take away from organised workers their right to negotiate with employers for more favourable terms than those fixed by such body. The second stoppage was at the Forest Production Works in Kenema, on 3rd and 4th May. The workers’ main grievance was thal nothing was being done to relieve them of the hardship caused by the rising cost of living. Work was resumed when the men were informed that a claim for increased wages was being dealt with by the Joint Industrial Council. The total staff of the Labour Department including the Training Centre numbered 96. The Government were greatly assisted by the Joint Consultative Committee to whom draft legislation and othei important labour problems were referred in the first instance. Appointed members of the statutory Wages Boards gave valuable assistance during the year. Two new trade unions, the Sherbro Amalgamated Workers’ Union and the Domestic Workers’ Union, were registered during 1951 and one trade union (the Protectorate General Workers’ Union) was; dissolved. This brings the total number of registered trade union.' to 11. They have a total membership of 17,419 and paid-up member¬ ship of 8,481. The Council of Labour continues to be the co-ordin¬ ating body for most of the trade unions. Sierra Leone was represented by the Commissioner of Labour al the Conference of Heads of Colonial Labour Departments held in London in September. It was unfortunately not possible to send delegates to the Seventh West African Labour Officers’ Conference held in Accra in May. Chapter 3: Public Finance and Taxation In 1951 revenue was £3,850,500 and expenditure £3,904,500 compared with £3,268,500 and £2,978,800 respectively in 1950. The original estimate for revenue was £3,868,500 and that for expenditure £4,147 000 The actual revenue fell short of the original estimate by £18,000’and the actual expenditure fell short of the estimates by £242,500.