Jamaica, 1938: The Strike That Changed the Island | 1938 Labour Rebellion
The Griot | Stories Roots LegacySummary
On April 20, 1938, a significant labor uprising occurs at the Frome Sugar Estate in Jamaica, ignited by delayed wages and harsh working conditions. Workers, primarily black Jamaicans, gather at the pay office only to find their payments delayed, leading to frustration and anger. As tensions rise, a peaceful protest escalates when police intervene with force, resulting in the deaths of four workers and injuries to several others. This incident marks a pivotal moment in Jamaica's labor history, as it sparks widespread unrest across the island.
Following the Frome incident, workers from various estates and industries, including dock workers in Kingston, begin to strike, demanding fair wages and better treatment. The movement grows, fueled by the desire for dignity and justice, as leaders like Alexander Bustamante and St. William Grant emerge to rally the workers. Their activism leads to increased tension with colonial authorities, who respond with arrests and a state of emergency, but the movement continues to gain momentum.
Despite attempts to suppress the uprising, the protests spread, leading to the appointment of the Moyne Commission by the British government in August 1938 to investigate the conditions in the West Indies. This commission signifies a recognition of the workers' plight and the need for change, although it does not deliver immediate justice. The events of 1938 ultimately reshape the labor landscape in Jamaica, highlighting the struggle for workers' rights and the demand for respect and dignity in the face of colonial oppression.
Show Notes
How did a sugar-estate strike and island-wide unrest force Britain to confront Jamaica’s working-class movement? Sources: Jamaica Labour Department reports; British Colonial Office files; Alexander Bustamante’s speeches; Norman Manley papers; Robert L. Sives, Elections, Parties, and Social Change in Jamaica
More from The Griot | Stories Roots Legacy
Why did a U.S.-backed invasion fail within three days and strengthen Cuba’s revolutionary government? Sources: U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee records; CIA historical review of the Bay of Pigs; Cuban revolutionary communiqués; John F. Kennedy presidential papers; National Security Archive documents
What did four days of unrest reveal about poverty, race, and colonial rule in Barbados? Sources: Barbados Commission of Inquiry into the 1937 disturbances; Barbados Labour Department reports; Grantley Adams papers; Barbados National Archives; Hilary Beckles, A History of Barbados
What can the surviving records reveal about the days before the Jonestown deaths and the political consequences for Guyana and the United States? Sources: FBI Jonestown files; The Jonestown Death Tape, FBI Q 875 transcript; U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee records; Guyana government and coroner records; National Archives and Records Administration
Why did Hurricane María produce such a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, and why did official death estimates change so dramatically? Sources: George Washington University, Ascertainment of the Estimated Excess Mortality from Hurricane María; Puerto Rico Commission for the Comprehensive Study of the Impact of Hurricane María; FEMA after-action reports; Puerto Rico government mortality records; National Hurricane Center reports
How did disputed electoral procedures and ethnic polarization shape Guyana’s post-independence political order? Sources: Guyana 1968 election results and official reports; Guyana National Assembly debates; Commonwealth observer and diplomatic records; British Foreign and Commonwealth Office files; Walter Rodney, A History of the Guyanese Working People