Employers blamed for labor unrest

Employers blamed for labor unrest

JAKARTA: The government-backed All Indonesian Workers Union
(SPSI) has blamed businesses for the increasing number of
industrial strikes over the last two months.

"Workers will not take industrial actions if employers respect
their rights. They will not go on strike to demand something
which is not their right," Deputy Secretary General Wilhelmus
Bhoka said here yesterday.

He said tens of thousands of workers in Java and North Sumatra
went on strike over the last two months to dramatize their
demands for better wages. He added that many employers are still
not complying with the government regulation that increased
minimum daily wages.

"The waves of industrial strikes will not cease as long as
what they demand is not met by their companies," he said.

According to Bhoka, most of the labor strikes were
masterminded by "a third party," or students and non-governmental
organizations. (rms)