Gloomy picture of a worker's life

Gloomy picture of a worker's life

ID Nugroho, The Jakarta Post, Sidoardjo

An old bicycle is parked among hundreds of motorcycles near a
machinery assembling factory in East Java town of Sidoardjo. The
bicycle is rusty, and its seat torn.

"It's bad, I know, but this bicycle gets me to work every
day," Haryono, a factory worker, told The Jakarta Post.

He is one of 16 million workers who earn their living in
870,000 companies across the 37 regencies and municipalities of
East Java.

As workers across the country observed Labor Day by holding
street rallies on Sunday, bringing their aspirations into the
spotlight, Haryono joined in.

The father of two has been working as a cleaning service
employee in the same factory for seven years, but after all this
time, he's still a contract worker. He's never actually seen the
contract himself.

"I know there's a contract, but I've never seen it," he said,
adding that it did not matter much to him anyway. "The most
important thing for me is that I get paid. That's good enough for
me."

The senior high school graduate admitted that he did not earn
enough money for his family. His basic monthly salary is Rp
626,000 (US$65), and in addition to Rp 1,800 per day meal money
and Rp 1,300 per day for transportation expenses.

Haryono said whenever he gets paid, the money disappears very
quickly. "When I receive my salary, I have to pay my debts, and
there's only about Rp 100,000 left for me and my wife," he said.

The idea of saving money is there, but not the money, he
added. "Even to eat is already hard," he said.

In order to be able to save on transportation costs, he uses a
bicycle to get to work, even though it means having to pedal 15
kilometers.

"I usually leave at five in the morning and reach the factory
at 6 a.m.. After resting for a while, I go straight to work," he
said.

As a contract worker, Haryono is not protected by health or
social insurance from his factory. If he falls sick, it means he
has to find extra money in order to get medical treatment,
forcing him to opt for cheaper herbal medicine instead.

A legal commentator from Airlangga University in Surabaya, I
Wayan Titip Sulaksana, said that of the 271 cases being handled
by Surabaya's Legal Aid Institute in 2004, labor cases
constituted 16 percent of them.

He said that the solution to incessant labor problems was
still a long way off.

"Workers' lack of awareness (of their rights) is the main
problem, as well as the labor committee's (for the settlement of
labor disputes) preference to take the businesspeople's side," I
Wayan said.

The matter was complicated by government's policies that did
not take into account the welfare of workers.

In its annual report, the legal aid institute's director,
Deddy Prihambudi, said that such policies force workers to take
alternative paths in dealing with problems, such as by staging
protests.

"Workers' protest will become increasingly stronger because
many are dissatisfied with government's policies," Deddy said.