800 labor disputes reported last year

JAKARTA (JP): More than 800 labor-related cases in Greater Jakarta were reported last year, mostly provoked by wage hike delays, the legal aid association said recently.

Hendardi, the director of the Indonesian Legal Aid Association, said 762 (93 percent) of the 818 cases pertained to the economic conditions of the workers involved.

"500 cases occurred from January to June last year, while the rest took place in the second half of last year," Hendardi said.

Greater Jakarta, including Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi, is home to approximately 65,000 companies.

In addition to workers' direct complaints, the association picked up labor-related disputes from Jakarta-based newspapers and weekly magazines, like Kompas, Suara Pembaruan, Republika, Berita Yudha, and Pos Kota.

He said the workers usually raised more than two demands to the management or the Ministry of Manpower.

The fact that factory managements were reluctant to follow the government's minimum wage regulations exacerbated the situation.

Their objections were usually voiced by associations, including the Indonesian Shoe Production Association, the Indonesian Meubel Industries Association, the Indonesian Manufacturers Association, the Indonesian Wooden Panels Association, the Indonesian Toy Production Association and the Indonesian Textile Association.

He said the associations demanded the ministry postpone wage rises on the grounds that companies were experiencing financial difficulties in putting it into effect by the April deadline.

The ministry finally exempted 215 companies from the minimum wage regulation in early June.

The association also recorded that a tiny number of higher level employees were involved in labor disputes.

"Employees at higher levels have a poorer awareness of their rights than the lower-ranking workers," Hendardi said.

He suggested that the higher level employees work together with lower ones to improve the state of the labor force.

However, he predicted that the number of labor disputes would slightly increase in 1997.

Demands to set up bargaining power through the labor union, were also high, Hendardi said.

He said there were 18 cases regarding workers' demands to set up independent labor unions. (07)