Labor movement in Indonesia still weak<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The recent protest involving only about 3,000 workers in Jakarta,
\ninstead of the threatened 25,000 people, is further proof of how
\nweak the labor movement in Indonesia is, and of its failure so
\nfar to harness its potentially powerful political leverage, say
\nlabor experts.<\/p>\n
The fragmented labor movement is seen as one of the main
\ncontributing factors to the failure of the protest, according to
\nformer manpower minister Bomer Pasaribu<\/p>\n
"Unions in Indonesia are similar to political parties. There
\nare too many of them, but only a few of them have clear programs
\nto fight for their common goals," Bomer told The Jakarta Post on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
Official records show that there are more than 60 registered
\nnational labor union federations, 140 labor unions and some
\n11,000 company-level unions.<\/p>\n
Those unions have an estimated combined membership of 11
\nmillion workers.<\/p>\n
The huge membership claimed by labor unions could become a
\npowerful political force if they united to fight for their common
\ninterests.<\/p>\n
"Unfortunately, these unions are divided based on ethnic
\ngroup, religion and political affiliation. Not to mention the
\nvarious organizational, managerial and leadership problems that
\nalso affect them," said Bomer, who is also the chairman of the
\nCenter for Labor and Development Studies (CLDS).<\/p>\n
Another factor, according to labor expert Tutur Suwito, is the
\nlow social awareness of workers. Consequently, they will join
\nrallies or protests only if the issues directly affect them
\nindividually.<\/p>\n
"Many workers decided not to join the recent protests (against
\nthe price hikes) as they had yet to feel the effects of the
\nhikes," said the former chairman of the Jakarta Labor Institute
\n(IPJ).<\/p>\n
"If the price hikes cause their company to lay them off, it is
\nonly then that they will react to the hikes. It has always been
\nlike that with other issues. Instead of proposing programs that
\ncould improve their welfare, workers impulsively react to
\nexisting policies," added Tutur.<\/p>\n
Weak leadership is also responsible for the unions' failure to
\nmobilize large crowds to protest the recent price hikes.<\/p>\n
Many unions in Indonesia were founded, and later managed, by
\nnon-governmental organization (NGO) activists, such as Dita Indah
\nSari and Muchtar Pakpahan.<\/p>\n
This, sometimes, inadvertently results in the workers being
\ntoo dependent upon their activist patrons, thus impairing the
\ncapacity-building process among the workers themselves.<\/p>\n
This weak leadership is also the result of the long history of
\noppression instituted by former president Soeharto, who allowed
\nonly government-sanctioned unions to exist.<\/p>\n
This New Order oppression has impaired the labor movement's
\nability to groom potential leaders from among the ranks of
\nworkers, and also significantly increased the workers' distrust
\nof unions.<\/p>\n
The labor movement has grown significantly since the fall of
\nSoeharto, and, in fact, several labors unions, according to
\nBomer, have shown their ability to pursue a clear agenda and
\nmobilize their members in doing so.<\/p>\n
"Labor unions in state-owned companies are far better than
\nthose in private firms. They are more capable of mobilizing their
\nmembers and are less tainted by particular political interests,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
In order to empower labor unions, Bomer stressed the need for
\nan improved labor law, especially after the implementation of
\nregional autonomy.<\/p>\n
In addition, Bomer suggested the establishment of an equal and
\nmeaningful bipartite relationship between workers and employers,
\nand a tripartite relationship involving the government, so as to
\nfacilitate negotiations to resolve disputes.<\/p>",
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