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Labor movement claims hardship brings solidarity
Jakarta Post - May 2, 2006
Ridwan Max Sijabat – Workers have found shared causes for concern and a renewed sense of activism in rejecting proposed revisions to the 2003 Labor Law and hardships they say have been caused by the government's economic policy.
They also know they need to build stronger political bargaining power to fight for their rights.
Major labor unions, commenting on Monday's observance of International Workers Day, said this year's observance coincided with heightened fears about the welfare of workers, particularly minimum wage earners.
"May Day is coincidentally the golden moment for labor unions to establish strong networking among workers and solidarity to fight for their common interests," chairman of the Confederation of Indonesian Prosperous Trade Unions Rekson Silaban said.
Khoirul Anam, vice president of the Indonesian Trade Union Congress (ITUC), said he was proud of the strong solidarity among workers who took part in the rallies and the government's response to their actions.
"We are sending a message to the current regime not to lash out at the workers' demands. They (the administration) should know about what to do in the future."
He said two fuel price hikes last year weakened the purchasing power of workers. "We are against the planned revision of the labor law because the government, in an alleged conspiracy with businesspeople, wants to cut the rights of workers and create job insecurity. Its labor concept in the dropped revision draft is actually modern slavery," he said.
The ITUC will mark May Day on Wednesday with a daylong seminar on labor conditions in the country. Rekson and Khoirul said their unions would campaign against political parties supporting the law revision.
Separately, Syukur Sarto, deputy chairman of the Confederation of All-Indonesian Workers Union (KSPSI), admitted his organization was has been backed by political parties to fight against the law revision.
"You know, KSPSI is a 'nest' for politicians of certain political parties but the strong labor movement has a lot to do with the strong opposition of most workers to the law revision," he said.
KSPSI, which is marking May Day on May 5 when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has returned from the Middle East, is chaired by former manpower and transmigration minister Jacob Nuwa Wea, who also belonged to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), while Syukur is a senior member of the SOKSI mass organization affiliated with Golkar Party.
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