Authorities cut short SBSI gathering

Authorities cut short SBSI gathering

JAKARTA (JP): Security officers forced activists of the
unrecognized Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) to cut
short celebrations of the organization's third anniversary
yesterday.

Activists said that security officers pressurized them to hold
the party in just about one hour, on the grounds that the
gathering had no official permit.

Among the approximately 60 guests were Tom Murphy, labor
attache of United States Embassy, Director of the Asian-American
Free Labor Institute Valentin Suaso and several foreign
journalists.

Tohap Simanungkalit, who represented the imprisoned SBSI
chairman Mochtar Pakpahan, said that the lack of freedom for
workers to unite have deprived them of many basic rights.

"This situation will continually weaken workers' positions in
collective bargaining with managements," he said.

Pakpahan is serving a three year jail term in Medan for
inciting labor demonstrations in the North Sumatra capital in
April last year. One businessman of Chinese descent was killed
and many shops and factories were attacked in a spate of protests
during a week-long demonstration in Medan, North Sumatra, that
turned into anti-Chinese descent rioting. Several of its
activists were jailed.

Simanungkalit said the SBSI would continue its mission to
defend workers' rights despite the government's refusal to
recognize the union. SBSI was established on April 25, 1992.

In February last year, the union called for a nationwide labor
strike to pressure the government into raising the daily minimum
wage from around Rp 3,000 to Rp 7,000. (rms)