Banks under fire for obstructing labor unions
Banks under fire for obstructing labor unions
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH) and a
federation of bank labor unions (Aspek Indonesia) were united on
Friday in deploring the actions of Bank Panin and Bank Mayapada
managements in obstructing their respective labor unions.
Speaking at a joint media conference, LBH Labor Division head
Rita Olivia said that they wished to express their concern and
regret at the decisions taken by the two banks to dismiss and
punish union members.
"The banks have engaged in intimidation and are applying anti-
union policies. These are against the International Labor
Organization (ILO) Convention," Rita told reporters.
She said the banks had also violated article 28 of the Labor
Unions Law No. 21/2000 which forbids anyone from obstructing the
establishment of a labor union or its activities.
She urged Bank Panin and Bank Mayapada to stop intimidating
members of the Panin Bank Workers Union (SPBP) and the Mayapada
Bank Workers Union (SPKBM).
The government should implement thorough monitoring and afford
protection for workers so that they could exercise their rights
to establish labor unions, she said.
The managements of the two banks could not be reached for
comment on Friday.
Meanwhile, Aspek's secretary general Saepul Tavip said that at
least 20 members and executives of the SPBP had been reprimanded,
transferred and, one of them, dismissed in December of last year
because of their activities in the union.
Tavip said that all five executives of the SPKBM were also
dismissed in August last year for similar reasons.
He said the banks' managements rejected the existence of the
unions, despite the fact that they had already been registered at
the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, and had set up their
own puppet labor unions instead.
"By establishing the splinter puppet unions masquerading as
real unions, the managements hope they will be able to control
the workers," Tavip said.
The workers' dismissals are still being processed by the
ministry's Central Committee for the Settlement of Labor Disputes
(P4P), he explained.
Tavip said Aspek, an affiliate of Union Network International
(UNI) of Switzerland, would continue to help the workers
negotiate with management.
Rita said that the unions would consider taking an action
against the bank managements for violating the Labor Unions Law
if they refused to negotiate.
Violation of the law carries a punishment of between one year
and five years in jail or a fine of between Rp 100 million and Rp
500 million.
"We have visited the banks, but we were ignored. However we
will continue asking the banks to discuss the matter," she said.
The managements claimed to have forwarded the matter to the
Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, Rita said, adding that
the government had a tendency to take the management side. (jun)