Early labor movement at the Dire Dawa Cotton Factory: Strikes, self-help associations, and worker resistance in 1940s and 1950s Ethiopia

Early labor movement at the Dire Dawa Cotton Factory

Abstract

The history of workers’ struggle for their right predated the formation of labor or trade unions. In this regard, cotton mill workers were in the forefront in providing a model for modern labor unions and industrial workers’ strikes in the West. In Ethiopia, the history of workers’ struggle can be traced back to the 1940s, when workers began work strikes organized by self-help associations, locally known as “iddir”. However, its history before the 1960s was one of the least explored areas and deserves independent scholarly investigation. The objective of this study is, therefore, to reconstruct the history of the early struggle of workers of the Dire Dawa Cotton Factory, focusing on the grievances they endured in the 1950s that led to major strikes. To this end, primary sources collected from archival centers in Addis Ababa and Dire Dawa were used. Besides, so as to enhance the authenticity of the findings, an attempt was also made to draw information from key informants. The findings of the study revealed that shortage of cotton prompted the establishment of self-help associations, including the Abujedid Association, in the early 1940s. The cotton factory also became a site of political resistance as the Ethiopian Imperial Government used it to counter the British Military Administration. From its inception, workers of the factory struggled against the British attempt to dismantle the factory and the subsequent foreign involvement in its management. For instance, they staged a strike against the unfair administration imposed by the management of Germans. This early strike led to the creation of a secret organizing committee which laid the foundation for the later workers’ labor union. The 1956 strike, marked by the slogan: ‘turn the nozzle and hit them by the butt of the gun,’ turned violent and resulted in the suffering and dismissal of several leaders of the self-help association.  Nevertheless, it succeeded in compelling the factory administration to address the workers` demands, making a milestone in the history of Ethiopian labor movement.

 Keywords:  Self-help associations, strike, labor union, abujedid, nozzle, butt