The strike began on January 2, 1929 in the township of Rabaul, then the capital of the Territory of New Guinea.
The strike was led by Sumsuma, who was assisted by N'Dramei of Manus, the senior sergeant-major of the police.
Around 3,000 workers participated in the strike, a majority of Rabaul's working population.
This, combined with the employers' refusal to negotiate at all and the general inexperience of the strikers, caused the strike to quickly fizzle out.
Sumsuma, along with N'Dramei and the other strike leaders were sentenced to 3 years in prison.