Workers set for biggest anti-utility price hikes<\/p>\n
Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Some 25,000 workers are expected to hit the streets of Jakarta
\non Thursday in what will likely be the biggest demonstration so
\nfar against the utility price hikes.<\/p>\n
The protesters plan to assemble in front of the State Palace
\nto demand the government of President Megawati Soekarnoputri call
\noff the increases in fuel prices and electricity and telephone
\nrates.<\/p>\n
A huge turnout is also expected for rallies outside the
\ncapital.<\/p>\n
\"We will gather at the HI (Hotel Indonesia) traffic circle at
\n10 a.m, then march to the State Palace,\" said Rekson Silaban, who
\nchairs the central executive board of the Indonesian Prosperity
\nTrade Union (SBSI).<\/p>\n
He said the workers would come from various labor unions.
\nApart from SBSI, the National Front for the Struggle of
\nIndonesian Workers (FNPBI), led by labor activist Dita Indah
\nSari, as well as the country's largest labor union, the All
\nIndonesia Workers Union (SPSI) will take part in the mass
\ndemonstration, which will cap a week-long protest against the
\nprice hikes.<\/p>\n
SBSI chairman Muchtar Pakpahan said demonstrations would also
\nbe held across 20 provinces, drawing a crowd of at least 100,000.<\/p>\n
Aside from protesting the utility price hikes, workers also
\ndemanded the government to drop its privatization policy and a
\nplan to drop possible criminal charges against business
\nheavyweights who share between them US$10 billion in debt to the
\nstate, said FNPBI chairwoman Dita.<\/p>\n
She said the workers had earlier wanted to meet with President
\nMegawati to press their demands, but the President refused to
\ntalk with them.<\/p>\n
Although the protest has the backing of almost all labor
\nunions, not every major association will join Thursday's
\ndemonstration.<\/p>\n
\"We are a bit concerned about the size of the protest, as it
\ncan easily get out of control,\" said Nazir Syarief of a
\nfederation of state company labor unions, representing over
\n200,000 workers.<\/p>\n
The Association of Indonesia Labor Union, which claims to have
\na membership of some four million workers in various industries,
\nwill send only 100 of its members to Thursday's protest, said
\nunion executive Saepul Tavip.<\/p>\n
Both Nazir and Saepul stressed their unions' support behind
\nthe protest, including demands to revoke the privatization policy
\nand the release and discharge policy against state debtors.<\/p>\n
The planned mass demonstration will be the largest so far in
\nnationwide protests against the triple price hikes.<\/p>\n
But now the front has widened to include other government
\npolicies that have irked the public over the past few weeks.
\nCalls for Megawati's resignation have grown stronger during these
\nprotests than in previous ones.<\/p>\n
Analysts have said she might be facing the biggest public
\nchallenge against her leadership so far, but they added that it
\nwould unlikely be enough for her to step down.<\/p>\n
The protest also marks the first time that workers joined
\nhands with businessmen to protest a government policy, said
\nformer minister of manpower Bomer Pasaribu, who heads the Center
\nfor Labor and Development Studies (CLDS).<\/p>\n
Business associations are lobbying the government to cancel or
\nreduce the increase in fuel prices and electricity rates.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, students and various non-governmental organizations
\n(NGOs) are also stepping up pressure on the government over the
\nsame policies.<\/p>\n
\"The timing was just bad, with all the other controversial
\npolicies not settled yet,\" Bomer said, referring to the public
\nuproar surrounding the sale of state international call operator
\nPT Indosat.<\/p>\n
He added that with the 2004 general election approaching,
\npolitical parties would likely seize the moment to pressure the
\ngovernment. \"I'm saying here that workers have bargaining power
\nto at least get the government's attention,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Analysts said legislators could criticize Megawati but would
\nnot go as far as to unseat her. A loose coalition between the
\ncountry's two largest political parties, one of which Megawati
\nleads, would thwart any such attempts, they explained.<\/p>\n
Rekson of SBSI said that Thursday's demonstration would not be
\nthe last one and more would follow until the government listened
\nto them.<\/p>\n
\"We're still looking for a common voice in negotiating with
\nthe government,\" he said, explaining that unions had to come up
\nwith different threats to make the government listen to them.<\/p>",
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