Working Conditions In Fiji

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The conditions under which Indian indentured labour worked were atrocious and unsparing. These indentured labourers were commonly known as ‘Coolies’. They were expected to perform exhausting tasks given by their superiors. In the beginning the death rate among coolies was high due to unhealthy working conditions but eventually it started reducing as better medical and sanitary facilities were made available. The coolies in Fiji witnessed many suicide cases as they could not withstand those working conditions and also because of mental exhaustion. In the article written by Eugene J. D’Souza, it is mentioned that 926 Indian laborers committed suicide in ten years ending in 1912. Working conditions were not the only problem, there was also a lot of sexual abuse among the coolies. This was because number of men who migrated from India was more than that of the women. Since women were less in number, they had to be shared among men which led to prostitution. As a result of this women were regarded ‘social outcastes’ and were treated very horribly. If anyone from the coolies went against the agreement and the rules, they had to face severe punishments such as imprisonment and increase in their tenure of working days in Fiji. Initially the coolies did not have any legal support due to which they had to face any punishment given by the authorities. Later due to persistent demand for justice by the coolies the government of Fiji passed new ordinance accordingly which reduced punishment and introduced fines for minor cases. The language barrier might also have been one of the reasons why coolies were exploited.

The coolies were exploited by making them work for long hours and were beaten up mercilessly. If anyone tried to run way from the owners or tried to go back to India before their agreed tenure, the owners increased the tenure twice. The overseers did not pay any attention to the physical condition of coolies. In one of the YouTube videos related to Indian labour in Fiji, it is mentioned that a lady named Narayani was sent to work two days after she had given birth which was against the agreement. When she refused to work her owner thrashed her up so badly that she was taken to hospital. This case was taken up by the Supreme court of Fiji, however the judgement was passed in the favour of the owner. As a result, Narayani became mentally ill. women were subject to physical labour which was too burdensome and were raped by men. The children were also expected to work with their parents. However not many Indians wanted to go back to India since they were able to earn higher wages in Fiji. Not only because of higher wages but also because of optimal climate and better sanitary facilities. Many women preferred to stay back in Fiji as they were not accepted back into their families.

We can clearly see that the Indian indentured labourers were exploited in a very brutal manner and to just to imagine what had gone through is extremely disturbing. As mentioned above what happened in the case of the women named Narayani is just one out of many such cases which might have gone unnoticed. Many Indians lost their lives in the Fiji immigration.


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Written by Shirlee

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Sources:

1.        Eugene J. D'Souza. INDIAN INDENTURED LABOUR IN FIJI.: Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 2000-2001, Vol. 61, Part Two: Millennium (2000-2001), pp.1072-1074.

INDIAN INDENTURED LABOUR IN FIJI on JSTOR

 

2.       https://www.striking-women.org/module/map-major-south-asian-migration-flows/indentured-labour-south-asia-1834-1917#:~:text=The%20conditions%20at%20work%20were,voyage%2C%20this%20took%20its%20toll.

3.       https://youtu.be/C4gA2q53j-g

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