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Labour front administration - Coggle Diagram
Labour front administration
Hock Lee Bus riots
Reasons
Left wing
Organise workers
Militant methods
Wanted
Increase in wage
Better working conditions
Hock lee algamated bus company joined Singapore bus workers union
Lead by Fong Swee suan
Secretary of union
Respones
2 employees dismissed
Branch officials
Another union formed
Hock Lee bus employer’s union
Spare drivers
Retainer fee of 2 dollars
Viewed by SBWU as employer’s union
Tension between workers and management erupted into dispute
24 march 1955
100 hock lee drivers and conductors
Day off
Management refused to grant leave
SBWU meeting
Viewed case as mass registration
Hired works from its own empployers union to continue bus services
Situation further detoriorated
18&24 April
Lightning strikes to protest against management
18 april
Claimed that there was a breach in the earlier agreement
Unhappy that employers union members employed as spare workers
24 april
Objection to refusal to allow SBWU workers to operate spare busses
Response
Dismissed 229 SBWU workers
The strike
25-26 april
Sacked workers arrived bus workers arrived at bus depot at Alexandra drive
Stopped each bus as it left
tried to get crew to stop bus
in sympathy for their cause
despite police intervention
27 April
continued to block gate
human barrier
refused to move despite several warnings
police used batons
disperse crowd
15 injured
generated sympathy
800 sbwus from other companies stopped work between 10am n 2pm
protest against police bullying
large grps of sypathisers and chinese students supported workers
agitators
loud speakers to make fiery speaches
incite crowds to oppose police
to avoid further clashes between police and picketers
bus service suspended
river valley roads
tiong Bahru road
alexandra road
other roads serviced by hock lee algamated bus company
LF stepped in to intervene
workers and management reached a dead lock
persuaded managemtn to offer reinstatement
court of inquiry
district judge E.A. Chua
initially agreed to return to work pending results of inquiry
fond signed agreement without consent of general workers
backed out
7 May
21 of 63 busses returned to the roads
driven by employers union
coulld run 1/3 of fleet using own members
by agreement
did not run smoothly
troublemakers
persistent ringing of bells
banging on side of vehicals
ripping seats with knives
11 May
clashes grew more intense
continued blocking buses
high pressure jets to disperse crowd
ordered by T. Kulasekaram
workers suffered minor injuries
Rhe riot
12 may
escalated into riot
used water hose to disperese rioters
relatiatde using sticks
road blocks to cordon off danger area
alexandra road
large numbers of students n workers organised n sent there
large numbers sent there on foot
2000ppl
began attacking in late afternoon
policeman
police posts
road blocks
cars
police used tear gas
rioting continued until 3am
casulties
4 dead
31 ppl injured
Corpral andrew teo bok lan
volunteer special constabury
beaten to death
car overturned and burned
detective corpral yuen yau pang
died from injuries after vehicle was similarly attacked
American press correspondent gene symonds
chong lon chong
gun shot wound
paraded around for several hours
died
Aftermath
13 May
riots ended in early hours
closed 3 middle school
late aernoon
chinese high
chung cheng
the branch school
claimed that they did it due to the
detiororaation of strike
increased participation by these schools
reaction
sit in chung cheng
gov convened at all party education committee
look into problem of chinese education
recommended not to take disiplinary action untill thoroughly examines
14 may
agreement reached between algamated, sbw and employees union
employees union dissolved
court of inquiry discontinued
charles gamba uni of malaya appointed as arbitrator
16 May
back ground
David marshal refused to use force
effect on Opinions on LF