Activists urge House to reject labor union bill
Activists urge House to reject labor union bill
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives is facing fresh
demands to reject a bill on labor unions and instead ratify the
1948 International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87 on
Freedom of Association and Protection of Workers' Right to
Organize.
Speaking in a hearing with members of the House special
committee deliberating the bill on Monday, activists of the
Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) and the
Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) said the bill was aimed
at restricting workers' rights.
"Articles in the bill clearly show that the government is
trying to control workers. It's a violation of the freedom to
organize," PBHI's deputy chairman Johnson Panjaitan said.
Johnson said the fact the bill gave the Ministry of Manpower
the authority to register unions would effectively allow the
government to limit workers from setting up unions.
He expressed misgivings about manpower minister Bomer
Pasaribu, who chaired the government-sanctioned All Indonesia
Workers Union (SPSI) under president Soeharto.
Johnson said the right to organize a strike -- which he termed
a vital instrument for workers in struggling for their demands --
was missing from the bill.
"The state should not regulate too many aspects of public
affairs. Let workers decide whether they want to set up a union."
LBH Jakarta's labor division head Surya Tjandra supported
PBHI's recommendation and asked the House to make the
ratification of the ILO convention a top priority.
"The House should make the convention a law, equipped with
sanctions and a controlling body," Surya said in the hearing.
He said the protocol of the convention, which was ratified
through a presidential decree by then president B.J. Habibie last
year, was not enough to protect labor unions.
The government is seeking House approval of the bill, which
was submitted by Bomer on Feb. 14, together with other bills
which comprise ILO Convention No. 182 on Elimination and
Immediate Action for Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labor.
The trade union bill covers workers' rights to form a union,
the independence of labor unions, the registration of labor
unions and settlement of disputes between labor unions.
A total of 26 labor unions, including the Federation of All
Indonesian Workers Union (FSPSI) and the Indonesian Prosperous
Labor Union (SBSI), have registered with the ministry.
The Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI) earlier
used similar reasons in rejecting the bill.
In response to the activists' demand, House special committee
deputy chairman Ibnu Munzier said the legislative body was likely
to endorse the bill after making corrections.
"We have met with several labor unions. They did not reject
the bill outright, but only suggested that it need improving,"
Munzier from the Golkar Party said. (01/jun)