Market porters strive to earn a decent living<\/p>\n
By Haryoso<\/p>\n
SEMARANG (JP): A middle-aged man sits on a pile of boxes in
\nfront of Johar market in Semarang. Once in a while he rubs his
\noily face with his dirty shirt without paying any attention to
\nthe passing vendors or shoppers.<\/p>\n
He only gets up and approaches an old brown van when it stops
\nnot far from him. In the blink of an eye, he is already carrying
\na big sack of chilies on his shoulder, heading to a stall in the
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
Marzuki, 46, is only one of the hundreds of porters working in
\nblock DF of the city's biggest and oldest market. Around 36
\nporters in five different groups work in this block alone.<\/p>\n
All of the porters come from the areas around Semarang. Once a
\nweek Marzuki goes back to his hometown in Sragen, a small city
\nthree hours drive from Semarang, to meet his family, and then it
\nis back again to his work as a porter in the market.<\/p>\n
\"At night, I sleep in a shop porch. I just lie down whenever I
\nam tired,\" said Marzuki, who is used to sleeping only on a bed of
\ncardboard.<\/p>\n
In practice, each group of porters works under a coordinator.
\nMarzuki, for instance, works under foreman Mukhsin. Anytime the
\nservices of porters are required, Mukhsin will immediately assign
\nhis porters to do the job.<\/p>\n
\"Everyday, each of us earns about Rp 10,000, that's after
\nsharing out all the income among all of the members,\" said the
\n50-year-old Mukhsin, who has been doing his job for 30 years.<\/p>\n
Becoming a porter, however, is not easy since their numbers
\nare restricted. First of all, a porter must become a member of
\nthe Indonesian Transportation Workers Union (SPTI) under the All-
\nIndonesian Workers Union Federation (SPSI). The organization
\nlimits the number of porters in Johar market to 400.<\/p>\n
Those interested in working as a porter, however, do not have
\nto officially apply to become a union member. All they need to do
\nis to find existing members who are willing to sell their
\nmembership cards. Once a card is acquired, the person concerned
\nbecomes a new member.<\/p>\n
As a registration fee, the union collects Rp 2,500 while each
\nmember is also required to pay Rp 1,000 in monthly dues.<\/p>\n
\"I paid Rp 10 million to a retired member last year,\" said
\nDaryanto, a porter from Sragen, who has no problem with paying
\nsuch a large sum given his current income of Rp 60,000 per day.<\/p>\n
The union which coordinates the porters also plays an
\nimportant role in placing each porter in the market. Each porter
\nworks in a group of 15 to 50 people with each group being
\ncoordinated by a foreman. The groups are named after towns,
\nincluding Ambarawa, Brebes, Yaik and Kanjengan, although
\nsometimes the names are based on their respective blocks in the
\nmarket.<\/p>\n
The work done by the porters can be paid in accordance with a
\nfixed price or the price can be negotiable. For example, the
\nfixed fee for unloading goods from a big truck is Rp 50,000 while
\nit is Rp 30,000 for a small truck.<\/p>\n
But Mukhsin's group demands less and is prepared to negotiate
\nthe price. The group's porters, for instance, charge Rp 750 for a
\nsack of chilies.<\/p>\n
Another group earns more than Mukhsin's.<\/p>\n
\"Everyday we earn between Rp 800,000 and Rp 1.2 million,\" said
\nDaryanto of the Brebes group. This group has 15 members and it
\ncosts Rp 10 million to become a member.<\/p>\n
Apart from being bought, membership can also be rented by
\ninterested people, mostly if a member is ill or desperately needs
\ncash. The annual membership rental fee is between Rp 750,000 and
\nRp 5 million, again depending on location.<\/p>\n
Sugiyono of Boyolali paid Rp 3 million to lease membership
\nfrom an ill member. \"After a year, I will be replaced again by
\nthe owner,\" Sugiyono said.<\/p>\n
Sugiyono earns up to Rp 35,000 a day. Out of this money, he
\nspends Rp 6,000 for meals and Rp 2,000 on traditional drinks.<\/p>\n
Most porters, just like Marzuki, sleep and bathe in the
\nmarket, helping them to save money on renting accommodation.<\/p>\n
\"Compared to those working in the paddy fields, we earn more,\"
\nboasted 22-year-old porter Haryanto, who claims his work has
\nbought him a motorcycle, a cow and almost a hectare of paddy
\nfields in his village.<\/p>\n
Other porters also shared Haryanto's feelings.<\/p>\n
Darmo uses his money to finance his child's education. \"My
\nchild can go to university thanks to this job.\"<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/market-porters-strive-to-earn-a-decent-living-1447893297",
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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