15 October 1913: Indian miners protest indenture tax

Podcast: On This Day in Working Class History · Working Class History

Opublikowano: 2026-10-15

On this day, 15 October 1913, Indian workers at the Farleigh colliery near Newcastle, South Africa, went on strike in protest against a tax on former indentured servants. The move was part of an ongoing campaign against racist pass laws in the white-ruled British colony. The laws restricted the movement of Indian people, did not recognise Asian marriages or allow the immigration of spouses, and imposed a £3 per year tax on former indentured servants. This extremely high tax effectively forced many Indian migrants back into indentured servitude. A campaign the previous decade had faltered, but returned in September 1913 when Indian w...