Annual report / State of Brunei.

Date:
[1955]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report / State of Brunei. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    activities the population is mainly engaged in peasant agriculture. Excess demand for unskilled labour must therefore be met by recruitment from either Sarawak or North Borneo, and in the case of skilled and artisan workers, by importation from Hongkong, Malaya and India. A careful check is kept on the entry of such labour into the State. Such immigrant labour may only be engaged by reference to the Commissioner of Labour. All permits are for limited periods and are granted only to enable the completion of a specified task and where practicable, the training of a local worker in the same project. With a slightly increased output of crude oil in 1954, the British Malayan Petroleum Company, Limited, had at Seria in its service some 1,308 (1,277 in 1954) European and a reduced Asian labour strength composed as follows: — Nationality Unskilled Skilled Total Chinese ... 438 1,028 1,466 Malays 665 994 1,659 Indians 88 589 677 Ibans 345 128 473 Javanese ... 12 29 41 Others 1 3 4 Total 1,549 2,771 4,320 Wage Policy of the Oil Company: The basic rates of pay of the Company’s workers ranged from the minimum of $3.56 per day for unskilled to $9.30 per diem for the highest skilled artisans. Out of 4,320 (5,000 the previous year) workers employed by the Company some 290 only are on minimum rates, a figure comparing favourably with the 600 of the previous year. Some additional 2,360 workers are employed by contractors operating on behalf of the Company within the oilfield area. The Company endeavours to safeguard the interests of such labour by inserting in the contract a clause binding the Contractor to observe all Brunei legislation effecting the conditions of employ-
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