>From: "Alan Bradley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >The following article is from Green Left Weekly. > >Indonesian workers demand better working conditions >By May Sari > >JAKARTA -- On February 11, 500 workers from clothing manufacturer PT >Matahari Sentosa I in Bandung, West Java, staged a sit-in at the parliament >building here. The workers, members of the militant Indonesian National >Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI) trade union, were demanding a 100% wage >increase from their present daily pay of 7700 rupiah. This does not cover >their living costs, which have increased more than 200% in recent months. > >The day before, together with workers from Kahatex and Primatex in Bandung, >West Java, the unionists protested at the local parliament building. > >PT Matahari Sentosa I, one of Indonesia's largest garment factories, >produces clothes for export to the United States, Europe and Australia. >Among the workers other demands were the end of military and police >involvement in the political system (the dual function of the military), >that workers be allowed to join unions other than the government-approved >All Indonesian Trade Unions (SPSI), and the abolition of racist >discrimination on the job. The workers reported that promotions are given >only to people based on their ethnic background. > >The demand for the end of the dual functions of the military has arisen >from the workers' daily experiences. Soldiers intimidate workers at the >factory who gather for political and union discussions. > >One worker at the Jakarta protest, Nasro, told Green Left Weekly: "In my >work place, management hired police from the special mobile brigade [known >as Brimob] to be field supervisors. In this way, the company can control >the workers. There is no way for us to talk to each other. We also have to >face attacks [from them] whenever we try to `escape' from the factory to >give solidarity to other workers on strike or to protest to government >representatives or local parliamentarians." > >Nasro also reported that police and members of the local military had >intimidated workers not to leave for the Jakarta protest. Some workers were >scared and did not leave. > >The PT Matahari Sentosa I workers' struggle has been a prolonged one, with >the first protests taking place a year ago. After a week-long strike that >ended on February 23 last year, the company and workers signed two >agreements that contained important improvements in working conditions, >such as a Rp1000 meal allowance, the provision of transportation and >uniforms, awards for diligent workers and the creation of a health and >safety facility within one year. The agreements have yet to be implemented. > >Leaders of the protest in Jakarta asked to meet members of the >parliamentary commission which deals with labour issues. No commission >members were prepared to meet the workers, except Yakob from Indonesian >Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), who is also chairperson of SPSI. > >However, Yakob asked the workers to leave because it would be hard to get >the company to negotiate. The workers then asked to speak to the minister >of labour power. "I voted for PDI-P in the last election", one worker, >Heri, said, "but a person like Yakob does not seriously support our >struggle". > > __________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki - Finland +358-40-7177941, fax +358-9-7591081 e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.kominf.pp.fi ___________________________________ [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe/unsubscribe messages mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ___________________________________
