On 13 October 1896, Indian indentured workers at Non Pareil on the East Coast Demerara struck over low wages, increased tasks, attempted transfers and abuse, including sexual violence against women and girls. Workers went to the Immigration Agent-General to complain; police confronted them on their return and opened fire. Five workers were killed and fifty-nine injured. The colonial labor system made many employment violations criminal offenses for workers while leaving planters with greater power. Bechu, an indentured worker, later used public letters and testimony to expose abuses and demand reform.
On 1 August 1838, apprenticeship ended in British Guiana and formerly enslaved people became legally free. Their freedom followed generations of resistance and the 1834 protests against continued...
On 7 November 1839, eighty-three free men and women from five plantations purchased Plantation Northbrook, later known as Victoria. Collective purchase created a base for community life and economic...
On 2 May 1845, proprietors of Victoria Village entered an agreement for the “good regulation and general benefit” of their community. Guyana’s parliamentary record describes it as a covenant with...
On 3 August 1869, workers at Plantation Leonora on the West Coast Demerara refused work amid a dispute rooted in withheld wages, wage reductions and difficult labor conditions. A shovel gang...
On 29 September 1872, workers at Devonshire Castle plantation on the Essequibo coast began a strike over poor wages, long hours, task assignments and deductions. Estate management ignored their...
👉 Police fire on striking workers at Non Pareil
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13 October 1896
On 13 October 1896, Indian indentured workers at Non Pareil on the East Coast Demerara struck over low wages, increased tasks, attempted transfers and abuse, including sexual violence against women...
On 28 November 1905, workers at Sandbach Parker’s wharf in Georgetown began a strike over low pay and exhausting conditions. Dockworkers worked long hours, lacked overtime compensation for night work,...
On 1 December 1905, police opened fire during mass protest in Georgetown after days of waterfront strike and rising public action. The unrest involved workers across sectors, including women whose...
On 13 March 1913, colonial police shot and killed fifteen Indian indentured workers at Rose Hall estate in Berbice; about forty more were seriously wounded. The confrontation followed weeks of labor...
On 4 January 1917, Georgetown wharf workers began a ten-day strike for higher wages, a shorter working day and overtime pay. Wartime inflation had sharply raised the cost of basic foods. Led by Hubert...
On 12 March 1917, the Government of India prohibited further recruitment and shipment of indentured workers to overseas colonies. The measure followed years of criticism and organizing in India and...
