 In December 1941 , black mine workers at various sites in Katanga Province , including Jadotville and Élisabethville , went on strike , demanding that their pay be increased from 1 @.@ 50 francs to 2 francs to compensate for rising living costs . The strike started on 3 December , and by the next day 1 @,@ 400 workers had downed tools . All UMHK sites were affected by 9 December . The strike was also fuelled by other grievances against the colonial order and segregation . 
