Garment factory workers seeking salary increases
Garment factory workers seeking salary increases
JAKARTA (JP): Garment factory workers are demanding that their
companies not only raise the minimum wage but that salaries be
based according to seniority, said the head of the Bekasi chapter
of the All Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI).
"So far we have received delegates from five companies to
discuss the salary increases," Abu Bastari told The Jakarta Post
yesterday.
After receiving a 20-member delegation, who represented 200
fellow workers at the PT Hanin garment company, Abu said the
group was the fifth to have come to his office to discuss the
problem.
The previous four were delegations from the Sungitex, Karintex
and Shintatex garment factories and from the Tong Yang shoe
factory, he said, adding that slow business in the garment
industry, especially last year, is beginning to cause many
workers to be concerned about their futures.
Three garment factories in Bekasi, 30 km southeast of here,
closed down last year, he said.
"The bankruptcy has scared many garment labors who believe
they will suffer the same fate or that the company will fail to
increase their salary according to the new minimum wage
regulations," he said.
He said that based on last year's experience a minimum wage
increase should be followed by proportional wage increase for
senior workers.
Abu said that the workers earning the minimum wage got the
raise but that many companies failed to provide additional
increases for long-time workers based on their seniority.
The failure provoked protest rallies at 40 percent of all 600
companies in Bekasi last year, he added.
After last year's 21 percent wage increase for Jakarta and its
surrounding areas, including Bekasi, the government is now
considering another wage hike.
The SPSI recently proposed an minimum salary increase from Rp
4,600 (US$2.00) to Rp 5,300 for the greater Jakarta area. The
organization also announced that it would propose an increase of
between 10 and 20 percent for all provinces.
Kusnadi, the spokesman of the worker delegation, told the SPSI
chapter leader yesterday that PT Hanin had so far paid their
salaries and provided the proper facilities.
"However, SPSI advised us as to how we should channel our
demands regarding a proportional salary increase and bonus after
the new minimum wage is implemented," he told the Post.
The Indonesian Employers Association said last week that the
minimum wage increases of the last two years have been so
burdensome for many companies that some have had to postpone
making the increase.
The association has urged the government to take into
consideration the company's ability to pay the new wage increase
put forward by SPSI in its proposal. (03)