Garment firm disrupted by massive workers' strike<\/p>\n
BOGOR, West Java (JP): Production at two factories of the
\ngiant garment company PT Great River Industries was disrupted
\nyesterday when most of its 13,000 workers went on strike to
\ndemand wage increases.<\/p>\n
About 6,000 workers turned up at the Cibinong factory, but
\nthey did not report for work. Instead, eyewitnesses said, they
\nformed a picket line to prevent others from going in.<\/p>\n
Their request to meet with the management was flatly rejected
\nand they were told instead to channel their demands through the
\nfactory unit of the All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI).<\/p>\n
This is the first time that Great River, a publicly listed
\ncompany which is also one of Indonesia's major textile exporters,
\nhas been hit by a major industrial stoppage.<\/p>\n
The company operates from two factories in Cibinong and
\nCikarang, both districts in Bogor, to produce top-of-the-line
\nbrand products such as Arrow, Triumph and Choya. It also has
\nbrand agency agreements for Cerruti, Disney, Donna Karan and
\nSwatch.<\/p>\n
Great River was first listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange in
\n1989. Now 40 percent of its equity is held by the public. The
\nmajority of its equity is held by a company controlled by
\nbusinessman Sunjoto Tanudjaja.<\/p>\n
The strikers yesterday were backed by hundreds of students and
\nactivists from the Indonesian Students for Solidarity and
\nDemocracy and the Center for the Indonesian Labor Struggle.<\/p>\n
Once it became apparent that their request to see the
\nmanagement was unlikely to be met, the workers and their
\nsupporters began marching towards the Bogor Legislative Council
\nbuilding about five kilometers away.<\/p>\n
The marchers formed a one-kilometer line, causing a massive
\ntraffic jam along the way. Watched closely by more than 100
\npolice officers in anti-riot gear, the march proceeded orderly.<\/p>\n
However, brief scuffles with the police broke out in front of
\nthe legislative council building when the protesters tried to
\nbarge their way into the building.<\/p>\n
Police subsequently detained 18 protesters, but later released
\n11 of them. The seven detained and whisked away to a nearby
\nprecinct were all students, identified as Ditasari, Setyo Budi,
\nMeggy Haryanto, Kelik, Asmarulloh, Andri Ali Akbar, and Lukman.<\/p>\n
The vice chairman of the council, Hasan Zaenal Abidin and
\nthree council members, agreed to see 10 representatives of the
\nworkers and four officials of the company's SPSI unit. Later on,
\nthey also met with six representatives of the management.<\/p>\n
Sahroni, the workers' spokesman, said they are demanding a
\nbasic wage of Rp 4,600 a day, the official minimum level, plus
\ntransportation and meal allowances, bringing the total take home
\nsalary to Rp 7,000 ($3) a day.<\/p>\n
They also demanded housing allowances and health insurance and
\nthe right to form an independent trade union, saying that SPSI
\nhas failed to accommodate their interests, Sahroni said.<\/p>\n
Responding to the claim, the factory's SPSI chief, Gunawan,
\nsaid that the union has been trying to negotiate the workers'
\ndemands with the management.<\/p>\n
He explained that the union had no prior knowledge of the
\nstrike.<\/p>\n
Lo Ginting, Great River's Administration Director, told the
\ncouncilors that the company is willing to negotiate with the
\nworkers, through SPSI, to draw up a new collective labor
\nagreement.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that the company is already paying its workers
\nthe Rp 4,600 daily minimum wage level set by the government for
\nWest Java area.<\/p>\n
Councilor Hasan Zaenal Abidin, during the meeting with the
\nworkers earlier, asked them to return to work today, saying that
\nhe would raise the matter with the company's management.<\/p>\n
He also promised them that he would make sure that none of the
\nstrikers would be reprimanded for their actions. (29)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/garment-firm-disrupted-by-massive-workers-strike-1447893297",
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