SPSI members not maximizing union power: Official<\/p>\n
By Ridwan M. Sijabat<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Workers in Indonesia are not using the power at
\ntheir disposal to further their interests, says a senior leader
\nof the All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI).<\/p>\n
Wilhelmus Bokha, an assistant to SPSI's secretary-general,
\nsaid the core problem in Indonesia's labor sector is not whether
\nfreedom of association is restricted or whether workers are free,
\nbut how workers utilize their freedom.<\/p>\n
\"Will it be effective for workers to set up many unions? What
\nadvantages will workers gain if they have too many unions?.\"<\/p>\n
Indonesia could well learn from the experiences of other
\ncountries in managing worker unions, he told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
\"The United States, one of the staunchest critics of
\nIndonesia's labor condition, has only one labor union, the
\nAmerican Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
\n(AFL-CIO),\" he said. \"Many other countries are reducing the
\nnumber of their unions in their efforts to improve workers'
\ncollective bargaining power.\"<\/p>\n
Bokha was commenting on the seemingly endless criticism coming
\nfrom a number of Western countries against the Indonesian
\ngovernment and their recognition of SPSI as the only union
\nallowed to represent workers in negotiations with management.<\/p>\n
SPSI is a federation of unions that, Bokha said, were
\nconsolidated in 1973 to strengthen the bargaining power of
\nIndonesia's workers.<\/p>\n
Now, after some reorganization and restructuring, the union is
\nan umbrella organization representing 13 different trade unions,
\neach one with the power and independence to set its own policies
\nand programs.<\/p>\n
The number of members could grow, he said, pointing out that
\njournalists in Indonesia could also form their own trade union if
\nthey wanted, without government obstruction.<\/p>\n
The debate on whether or not journalists are to be considered
\nworkers, however, continues at present. Some government officials
\nsay journalists are professional workers whose interests would be
\nbest represented through a professional association, and not a
\nunion.<\/p>\n
Bokha said workers in Indonesia are free to form their own
\nunion, underlining that the right to organize is guaranteed by
\nthe 1945 Constitution as well as labor laws. \"There has not been
\none instance in which workers were prevented from organizing
\nthemselves,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He pointed out to two recent government regulations that
\nfurther strengthened worker rights. The Minister of Manpower's
\nDecree 438\/1992 encourages workers to establish plant-level
\nunions, while Decree 3\/1993 stipulates that the government will
\nrecognize the existence of more than one union in the country.<\/p>\n
Bokha said there are now more than 740 plant-level unions
\nacross Indonesia, most of which are in Jakarta and in surrounding
\nindustrial cities.<\/p>\n
Asked about the Indonesian Prosperous Workers' Union (SBSI),
\nwhich is not recognized by the government, he took the government
\nline and pointed out that the union fails to meet the proper
\ncriteria because it was not established by workers.<\/p>\n
The SBSI case has often been used by Indonesia's critics
\nabroad to support their argument about the lack, or absence, of
\nfreedom of association for Indonesian workers.<\/p>\n
Since 1992, when it was founded in defiance of the law, SBSI
\nhas regularly been in trouble with the government. Its founding
\nchairman Mochtar Pakpahan is now serving time for organizing a
\nmassive workers' march that turned into a riot in Medan, North
\nSumatra, in April last year. A small reception to mark its third
\nanniversary last week in Jakarta was cut short by the police.<\/p>\n
Bokha acknowledges some shortcomings within the SPSI in the
\nway it represent its members, which he attributes to the union's
\nleaders and the way they are elected.<\/p>\n
\"Each year, we receive billions of rupiahs in foreign aid,
\nbut a bigger part of this money goes into the hands of the
\norganization's officials,\" he said.<\/p>\n
These officials are too busy dealing with foreign aid projects
\nand have never been asked to account for the money, he said. \"How
\ncan this organization be effective if its officials are too busy
\nwith their own projects?\"<\/p>\n
Bokha admitted, however, that many SPSI leaders in the central
\noffice and the regional offices were appointed by the government,
\nand not elected by their members.<\/p>\n
These union officials are simply using their terms in office
\nto make the most for themselves, he added.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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