Great River workers take protest to House<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Striking workers of PT Great River Industries,
\none of Indonesia's leading garment manufacturers, took their
\nongoing protest in demand of better wages and conditions to the
\nHouse of Representatives yesterday.<\/p>\n
By 10 a.m., about 2,000 of the striking workers had assembled
\nat the gates of the House building. Most of them came from Bogor
\nby public transport.<\/p>\n
The workers began their strike on Tuesday, demanding, among
\nother things, a salary increase to at least Rp 7,000 per day, as
\ncompared with their current Rp 4,600 ($2) per day.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, some 6,000 workers from Great River's two
\nfactories in Bogor marched to that city's legislative council to
\nseek support for their cause.<\/p>\n
Yesterday the workers were again joined by dozens of students
\nand activists who had also taken part in Tuesday's march.<\/p>\n
In contrast to the Bogor march, which was watched closely by
\nmore than 100 police officers wearing riot gear, there were only
\nhandful of police officers and House security guards in
\nattendance yesterday.<\/p>\n
The protest proceeded peacefully, albeit noisily, and the
\nworkers went home after being received by two members of the
\nminority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction -- Sabam
\nSirait and Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno.<\/p>\n
The protesters sought the PDI's assistance in securing the
\nrelease of seven of their number who have been in police custody
\nsince Tuesday's march, when they were arrested after a series of
\nbrief scuffles with police.<\/p>\n
Great River, a publicly-listed company, produces top-of-the-
\nline brand products such as Arrow, Triumph, Choya, Cerruti,
\nDisney, Donna Karan and Swatch.<\/p>\n
The management has offered to re-negotiate the company's
\ncollective labor agreement with representatives of the All
\nIndonesian Workers Union's (SPSI's) factory unit. It has insisted
\nthat the wages it is paying are in compliance with the
\ngovernment's minimum wage legislation, which provides for a
\nminimum of Rp 4,600 per day for workers in West Java.<\/p>\n
The workers argue that the government's minimum wage levels
\nrefer to basic wages and that allowances, such as for
\ntransportation and meals, should be paid on top of that.<\/p>\n
The workers are also demanding that they be allowed to set up
\nan independent union, saying that SPSI has failed to fight for
\ntheir interests.<\/p>\n
Sabam Sirait told the workers that the PDI considered their
\ndemand for a minimum take-home wage of Rp 7,000 per day to be
\n\"fair\".<\/p>\n
He said that various surveys had found that most companies
\ncould pay their workers higher wages if they were not burdened by
\nso many \"invisible\" costs.<\/p>\n
The term usually refers to unofficial payments levied on
\ncompanies by various government agencies, as well as additional
\ncosts resulting from the cumbersome nature of government
\nbureaucracy.<\/p>\n
Sabam said his faction supported the workers' demand that they
\nbe allowed to establish their own union outside of the SPSI.<\/p>\n
The SPSI is the only labor union in Indonesia recognized by
\nthe government.<\/p>\n
Sabam said the PDI planned to summon the management of PT Great
\nRiver over the matter. (29)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/great-river-workers-take-protest-to-house-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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