Construction laborers in long wait for work in Jakarta

Construction laborers in long wait for work in Jakarta

Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Several men in shabby clothes are seen every day lying down or
sitting in this small park off of Jl. Permata Hijau Barat in
Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta. They are sheltering from the sun
under a big shade tree in the area where a luxury housing complex
is located.

At first glance it would appear that they were a group of
workmen taking a hard earned break and enjoying their leisure
time. Despite the incessant automobile traffic just yards away,
some of them fell asleep, while others sat on a wooden bench.

But these were not men taking a leisurely nap.

"We have been here for three weeks languishing, awaiting
gainful employment," said Dasikin, a resident from Brebes,
Central Java, with a hoe and a bamboo spade as the basic tools of
his trade.

Dasikin is one of around 50 villagers who daily congregate
here in hopes of securing a day's wage on a construction site or
in someone's private yard.

His colleague, Jaib, said that he had worked on and off as a
day laborer for 15 years to get extra income to put food on his
family's table back in Brebes.

Like the others, Jaib hails from Brebes, where he owns a 14
meter by 14 meter plot of land.

"I cannot feed my family simply from the tiny harvests on my
plot, as we have only one a year," Jaib said, adding that the
paddy fields there were all dry at this time of the season.

As there is no irrigation, the fields depend entirely on
rainfall and this means that the farmers can only harvest once a
year. Jaib said that one harvest could yield about 600 kgs of
unhusked rice with a total market price of Rp 960,000 (about
US$100).

"We keep the rice for our daily meals at home, but then we
need to supplement our incomes to meet our family's daily needs
and to pay our children's school tuition," he said.

After the harvest, Jaib and many other villagers come to
Jakarta. They spend months hoping to earn some money for their
family, by offering their muscles and low-wage labor for
construction projects, especially digging.

However, most of them have to endure frustrating periods of
joblessness that can last for weeks.

Mirta, 50, said that he had been jobless for more than two
weeks. Even without any money in their pockets, Mirta and other
workers still must eat. Luckily, there are some food stalls which
allow them to eat on credit.

Being hungry most of the time is indeed the major problem
while waiting for jobs.

"To minimize my debt (with the food stall), I only eat once or
twice a day, and even that is just rice and a vegetable, usually
without any meat," Jaib said. "Otherwise I would not be able to
save any money to take to my family."

If he gets selected by a passing construction manager for a
few days of work, he could earn up to Rp 100,000. But he can
never be sure when someone will pick him up.

Workers on an excavation projects, may earn between Rp 12,500
and Rp 25,000 per cubic meter of earth moved, or a flat fee of Rp
50,000 a day. Most of them prefer the piece work because they can
earn more money by working harder.

Once a month or so, they return home and bring some money,
which can range from Rp 50,000 to Rp 300,000.

In Jakarta, they stay in a tiny dorm in Kebayoran Lama with a
weekly rental fee of Rp 2,500 per person.

There are many places in Jakarta which have become similar
bases for these types of seasonal workers. Another one is located
under the Cawang flyover in East Jakarta. There, dozens of
farmers from Subang and Cirebon, West Java, have led a hard life
being seasonal excavation workers since the 1980s.

Usman, who had been doing nothing but waiting for 10 days,
said he came to the city to get money to support his child's
education and his wife in Subang.

"If I am lucky, I will work for a week and take about Rp
200,000 home," Usman said.

Usman and his fellow workers hope that one day their life will
be better but they also have pride and dignity and most have
sworn never to succumb to the temptation of resorting to criminal
behavior, like so many others in their shoes.

"We are physically dirty and people often look down their
noses at us, but we have good hearts for others," Adi, a worker,
remarked, "not like some supposedly respected gentlemen who wear
ties but have no heart."