Books on exploitation launched

JAKARTA: Bandung-based Akatiga Center for Social Studies launched on Tuesday two books on exploitative relations between big enterprises, microbusinesses and workers.

The books are titled Hubungan Perburuhan di Sektor Informal: Permasalahan dan Prospects (Labor Relations in the Informal Sector: Problems and Prospects) and Pola-pola Ekploitasi Terhadap Usaha Kecil (Exploitation Patterns faced by Microbusinesses).

The books were written based on the center's research on fishermen in Kamal Muara, North Jakarta, textile home industries in Majalaya, tea farmers in Ciwidey, and rattan home industries, in Cirebon, West Java.

Researcher Ratih Dewayanti said the center found that large enterprises exploited small businesses by controlling raw materials, prices and markets.

"In order to survive, small businesses exploited their workers by paying low salaries and providing less social security," Ratih said. --JP