Mr. Creech Jones:

The strike of African employees at Mombasa began on 13th January and affects nearly all African labour at Mombasa, amounting approximately to 15,000 persons. Rumours of an impending strike began to circulate during the first week in January. The Labour Commissioner of Kenya immediately held a series of meetings with representatives of the Railway African Staff Union, employees of the biggest stevedore company in Mombasa and about 120 further African representatives of all other African employees on the island. A number of complaints were put forward at these meetings, and the Labour Commissioner was engaged in investigations on the bases of these when the strike started. Many of the representations at the meetings with the Labour Commissioner expressed themselves as being opposed to strike action, but it is evident from the subsequent developments that they were not able to influence the workers as a whole. The Kenya Government is at present doing everything pos- sible to persuade the strikers to return to work in order that their grievances may be properly investigated and where necessary remedied, but so far they have refused to do this until their grievances are met. The port is being kept open and all essential services maintained.