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)