'Bill doesn't reflect workers' interests'

'Bill doesn't reflect workers' interests'

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation has blasted
the government for its manpower bill which it said would subject
workers to even worse conditions.

Teten Masduki, the foundation's workers' division director,
told The Jakarta Post Tuesday that the government-sponsored bill
would "legalize" unfair labor practices, lessen workers' room to
fight for their welfare, and might even help set Indonesia's
image as a site for cheap-labor.

The bill would only serve to meet the state's economic and
political interests, using, as its justification, the increasing
competition of the free trade era, he said Tuesday after a
discussion on workers' rights.

"The bill explicitly shows the government's mission of
providing cheap and politically obedient labor. It does not
reflect the interests (of the workers)," Teten said.

If passed into law, the bill would only make it more difficult
for the government to protect workers' rights in times of free
and harsh competition, he pointed out.

The bill seeks to amend the 1969 Law No. 14 on Manpower, which
stipulates that the government has the authority to conduct
"labor inspections" and enforce the law. If passed, the bill will
allow the government to -- without restraint -- interfere in
labor industrial disputes.

The bill is currently registered at the House of
Representatives and is expected to pass into law before the
general election to be held next May.

Activists have criticized the document for allegedly leaving
out provisions on workers' right to assemble. They believe this
would, directly or indirectly, leave workers no choice but to
join the sole officially sanctioned All-Indonesia Workers Union
Federation rather than establishing or choosing their own unions.

Lutfi Hakim, director of the legal aid division at the Jakarta
chapter of the unrecognized Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union,
said amending the law would be useless unless subsequent
regulations are also to be established.

The proposed bill, with 9 chapters and 35 articles, would have
to be accompanied by 21 new legislations because it does not
meticulously mete out specific interpretation of the law. This
situation, according to the activists, enables the government
become the sole interpreter of the law.

One good point is that the proposed bill incorporates
protection for those working in the informal sectors.

Aris Ananta of the University of Indonesia had earlier urged
the government to include those working in the informal and rural
sectors, 70 percent of whom are not covered by labor laws.

"Those workers in the informal and rural sectors are
uneducated and low-skilled and most of them are living below the
poverty line," he said.

Criticism of the existing laws includes lack of provisions on
the protection of child workers, migrant workers and indigenous
people.

Lawyers from the Institute of Policy Research and Advocacy,
the recently founded legal aid for women called the Association
of Indonesian Women for Justice, and the Jakarta Social Institute
took part in Tuesday's discussion with Teten.

Separately, Antara reported yesterday that as many as 68 of a
total of 16,737 companies which violated manpower regulations in
1996 have been brought to court.

Director general for supervision of workers of the Ministry of
Manpower, Suwarto, said Monday that of the 68 companies brought
to court, 25 had been handed a verdict. Of the 25, 5 company
owners were sentenced to imprisonment and 20 were fined, he said.

He further noted that businesspeople's awareness of manpower
regulations increased in 1996 because some 200 companies were
sued in 1995 for violating similar regulations.

He added that between January and November, there were 344
labor strikes, involving 220,914 workers. Most of the strikes
were related to wage and benefit increases.

The government will announce increases in the regional minimum
wage rates early in January 1997, he said. (06)