Minister plays workingman's hero role<\/p>\n
By Ridwan M. Sijabat<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Name a person, or an organization, who has done
\nthe most for workers in Indonesia in 1994. With the country's two
\nunions discredited, the All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI) for
\nits ineffectiveness and the Indonesian Prosperity Trade Union
\n(SBSI) for stirring up a riot, the title as the workingman's hero
\nin 1994 easily goes to Manpower Minister Abdul Latief.<\/p>\n
A former businessman, recruited in March 1993 by President
\nSoeharto to handle Indonesia's complex labor affairs, Latief made
\na number of surprise moves during the year that earned him
\nplaudits from workers but complaints from his former colleagues
\nin the business world.<\/p>\n
Barely into his second year on the job, Latief upset many
\nemployers when he decided, at short notice, to raise the minimum
\nwages on Jan. 1 in Jakarta and West Java. Many companies which
\ndefied his order were hit by workers strikes, but this time they
\nhad little help from the authorities because Latief, in the same
\nmonth, also rescinded a decree that allowed companies to summon
\nthe military for help to break a strike.<\/p>\n
Rather than faulting the workers, he blamed the management for
\nignoring the minimum wage level and gave them a February deadline
\nto either comply or face prosecution. Most had complied by the
\ndeadline.<\/p>\n
Following this, there were no problems when he raised the
\nminimum wage levels in other provinces in April and August. The
\nbusinessmen knew better than to confront Latief.<\/p>\n
Towards the end of the year, Latief had another surprise in
\nstall for the business community. In September, he issued a
\ndecree making it compulsory for companies to pay their workers a
\n13th month salary as a bonus, payable at one of the four great
\nreligious days, either Christmas (Christians), Idul Fitri
\n(Moslems), Nyepi (Hindu) or Waisak (Buddhist).<\/p>\n
Previously, the practice was encouraged but strictly
\nvoluntary. This had been another cause of many strikes in the
\npast as workers pressed for the 13th month salary.<\/p>\n
Latief's gesture was welcomed by workers and the unions but
\nagain employers complained, saying they were never consulted.<\/p>\n
There were other programs Latief initiated during the course
\nof the year, but these examples directly affected the welfare of
\nthe workers.<\/p>\n
In between his workload, Latief also found time to answer
\ncharges that Indonesia was violating workers' rights. His effort
\nappeared to have paid off as the United States deferred its
\ndecision on whether or not to end the generalized preference
\nsystem (GSP) in view of the charges.<\/p>\n
In contrast, the country's two unions, the government-
\nrecognized All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI), and the rebel
\nIndonesian Prosperity Trade Union (SBSI) have been quieter in
\n1994.<\/p>\n
SBSI, which continued to defy the government, brought matters
\nto a head-on collision with the government in April. A massive
\nand destructive workers' riot in the North Sumatra city of Medan
\nwas attributed to the union and the government moved to round up
\nsome of its leaders, including chairman Mochtar Pakpahan.<\/p>\n
Mochtar was subsequently jailed for four years for his role in
\nthe riot, which left one businessman dead and billions of rupiahs
\nin financial losses.<\/p>\n
Although declared illegal, SBSI has been allowed to continue
\noperations, with the government treating the defiant union
\ncautiously, in view of its apparent strong support abroad.<\/p>\n
Any attempt to disband the union would surely prompt
\ncriticisms from abroad, confirming their suspicion that there is
\nno freedom of association for Indonesian workers. The
\ngovernment's policy on SBSI has been simply to ignore it.<\/p>\n
SBSI's efforts to make a real difference for the workers'
\ncause in 1994 failed. A call for a general strike in February
\nwent largely unheeded and the massive strike in Medan in April
\nturned into riots.<\/p>\n
Non-recognition also made it difficult for SBSI to operate and
\nsome of its leaders and members complained of continued
\nharassment by local authorities.<\/p>\n
Still SBSI claims to have enlisted 250,000 members across
\nIndonesia as it continues to overshadow SPSI, which had used 1994
\nlargely to consolidate its organization and strengthen its image.<\/p>\n
Outwardly, in terms of fighting for the interest of workers,
\nSPSI has hardly done anything noteworthy in 1994.<\/p>\n
Inwardly, it was kept busy with consolidating the union after
\nreverting to its old format of a federation in late 1993. Even
\nthe 13-sector trade unions under the new federation hardly made
\nthe news in 1994.<\/p>\n
SPSI has around 10 million members of the over 35 million paid
\nworkers and has set up representatives in only 11,000 of the
\napproximately 150,000 companies across the country. But its
\nineffectiveness in fighting for the cause of its workers is the
\nvery reason why SBSI was established and has flourished.<\/p>\n
SPSI also received sharp criticisms from government officials,
\nwith one even criticizing that the union leaders had acted as if
\nthey represented the interests of employers.<\/p>\n
Given the condition of the two country's unions, much of the
\ninitiatives in terms of improving the workers' welfare in 1994
\nwere taken by Latief.<\/p>\n
The minister has already made his move for 1995. He has
\ndeclared another round of raises in regional minimum wages,
\nbeginning in April.<\/p>",
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