HOCK LEE BUS RIOT 1955

The Hock Lee bus strike began peacefully on 23 April 1955 but escalated into a violent riot on 12 May in which four people were killed and 31 injured. During the strike, large numbers of dismissed bus workers locked themselves in the Hock Lee garages at Alexandra Road and picketed at the gates. On 10 May, the pickets rioted when they were forcibly removed by the police. On 12 May, they were joined by several lorry loads of Chinese school students and the violence that followed led to the death of two police officers, a journalist and a student. On 13 May, the government closed three Chinese schools for a week and ordered the expulsion of some of the ringleaders. On 14 May, the Hock Lee bus strike was settled by government arbitration on terms generally favourable to the strikers.

The relaxation of police powers was debated in the Legislative Assembly and approved on 27 April 1955. Together with greater freedom of action enjoyed by the trade unions, this provided the Communists their best opportunity of confrontation with the government since 1948. The Middle Road Group launched an immediate challenge through their control of the public transport system.

Two main issues

• A rival trade union was formed by the Chinese-owned Hock Lee Amalgamated Bus Company in response to the formation of the pro-communist Singapore Bus Workers Union (SBWU) in February 1955. Two hundred and fifty workers had already joined the SBWU when the bus company recruited another 200 men into a pool of spare drivers, with a retaining fee of $2 per day paid on condition that they joined this rival union.
• The introduction of new working rosters brought the dispute to a climax. On 23 April, the SBWU served strike notices on the Hock Lee Bus Company. In response, the management dismissed several workers who countered by locking themselves in the company's garages in Alexandra Road and picketed the gate. Strikers who prevented buses from leaving the garages were generally peaceful on 25 and 26 April.

27 April 1955 : 150 strikers blocking the gate grew more violent by throwing stones at the police and on 28 April, police had to use batons to clear the gate, resulting in 15 people being injured.

29 April 1955 : Thousands of Chinese middle school students converged to support the strikers with food and entertainment.

30 April 1955 : On the eve of May Day, sympathy strikes spread to other unions affiliated to the Middle Road Group. Dock workers stopped the transportation of freight and passengers, threatening the economic life-line of Singapore. The island-wide industrial action grew increasingly violent with the support of students from the Chinese high schools.

9 May 1955 : Negotiations between the bus company and the SBWU broke down and the police were ordered to take all necessary action to clear the picket-lines for the passage of buses. Fire hoses were used to disperse the strikers.

10 - 12 May 1955 : Rioting broke out. Twenty lorry loads of Chinese school students joined the rioting strikers and 17 more were intercepted by the police. These lorry loads of students were well-organised and converged at the bus company from schools all over Singapore. A mob of 2,000 rioters attacked police; the viciousness of the violence was attributed to the SBWU being communist-inspired while the owners of Hock Lee were perceived as supporters of the Kuomintang. A Chinese police officer was doused with petrol and burnt alive, while a Chinese student who was shot by the British police was paraded around for two and a half hours to whip up emotions. He died on the way to hospital.

13 May 1955 : By 3:00 am., the rioting had subsided although island-wide strike of bus workers continued.

14 May 1955 : A government arbitrator negotiated a settlement between the Hock Lee Bus Company and the SBWU in which the pre-strike rosters were restored. Normal bus services resumed on 16 May 1955.

Significance and Consequences

· The Middle Road Group seemed to have scored a victory as the government had directed the management of the bus company to meet the demands of the workers;

· David Marshall faced the problem of competition for the support of the Chinese-educated public who was satisfied that justice was restored. However, he was well-aware that the SBWU was communist-controlled and had used the dispute for political rather than industrial purposes;

· There was general public revulsion at the degree of violence and this lent support to strengthening the powers of the police in maintaining law and order. Immediate reversals to the relaxation of police powers, approved by the Legislative Assembly on 27 April 1955, were made;

· Lee Kuan Yew faced the dilemma of co-operating with the Communist Open Front, but at the same time, opposing violence in seeking to destroy the colonial system;

· Lim Chin Siong, during the Legislative Assembly debate on the riots, was not forthright in stating where his loyalty lay - either to Singapore or to communism.

23 April 1955.

Workers of the Hock Lee Amalgated Bus Co, who were members of the pro-communist Singapore Bus Workers’ Union (SBWU) went on strike.

They protested against the new work rosters and the formation of rival unions.

The rival union, with 200 spare workers, was formed by the bus company to avert any possibility of strikes by the SBWU.

The strikers attempted to stop the buses from leaving the depots. The entire transport system was paralysed.

Students from the Chinese middle school came in busloads, and joined the strikers in a show of support. They organised donation drives, brought food and money, and even entertained the workers with songs and dances.

A major riot broke out on Thursday, May 12, known as "Black Thursday", when police tried to break up an illegal picket line. The police used water cannon and tear gas to disperse the mob. The mob retaliated by stoning the policemen and buses.

Two police officers and an American press correspondent, Gene Symonds, were killed by the rioters. The police killed a student and 31 were injured.

The workers felt that the strike was a success, as they were reinstated without any loss in income.

DONE BY: YUNCONG (22)

CLASS: 4E3