Government urged to rid SPSI of politicians
Government urged to rid SPSI of politicians
JAKARTA (JP): A leading member of the All-Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI) has asked the government to purge the union's leadership of "politicians" who represent the organization more than workers.
Wilhelmus Bokha, deputy secretary-general, has opened up a battle front with his colleagues on the executive board with this stance in the run-up to the union's congress.
The reorganization of SPSI's administrative structure and the appointment of new leaders are expected to dominate the congress scheduled for Nov. 14-Nov. 29.
"Almost all executives of SPSI and its sectoral unions come from SOKSI and Kosgoro," Bokha told reporters on Thursday after attending a media briefing on the congress in Caringin, West Java.
SOKSI and Kosgoro are two powerful organizations that have close links to Golkar, the ruling political group.
Outgoing SPSI chairman Imam Sudarwo, who said yesterday he has no intention of running for the post again in next week's congress, is a member of the Kosgoro cadre.
Nomination of candidates for the various positions on the SPSI executive board are already underway, and informed sources said most of them are associated with SOKSI and Kosgoro.
Bokha blamed SPSI's ineffective of representation of workers on it leadership composition which is dominated by members of SOKSI and Kosgoro.
"Workers have become alienated from the union," he said.
He said that it would take strong government intervention in the upcoming congress to change the leadership structure and turn SPSI into a more professional, independent and democratic organization.
SPSI is the only union recognized by the government to represent workers in negotiations with managements.
Next week's congress will be the first since SPSI reverted back to its original form as a federation of a number of sectoral unions.
In the last two years, SPSI has sponsored the establishment of 13 sectoral unions, which represent workers in the following sectors: construction and public works, wood and forestry, trade, banking and insurance, publication and printing, food, beverages and cigarettes, chemicals, energy and mining, metals, electronics and machinery, textiles, garment and leather, shipping, pharmaceuticals and health, agriculture and plantations, and tourism and transportation.
"Of the thousands of labor disputes that have occurred in this country in the past, only 1 percent to 2 percent have been mediated by SPSI," he said.
The majority of the disputes were handled by non-governmental organizations.
He pointed out that SPSI has recruited only 10 million members, not a staggering figure considering that there are an estimated 33 million workers employed by around 149,000 companies throughout the country.
"Workers are reluctant to join SPSI because they know it is not a representative organization through which they can fight for their interests," he said.
Another union, source who asked for anonymity, said the presence of "politicians" in the leadership structure has plunged the organization into crisis.
"All strategic positions, both in the organization and sectoral unions, are filled in by unprofessional people," the source said. "And what they have done for the workers is far less than what they have gained for themselves."
He said embezzlement, collusion and nepotism are rampant in SPSI and that foreign aid received by SPSI has never been properly accounted for.
Many SPSI officials spend more time in cultivating relationships with business executives than with workers, he added.
During yesterday's media briefing, outgoing chairman Imam Sudarwo denied the suggestion that SPSI's leadership is dominated by people from Kosgoro or SOKSI, saying that nobody in the union represents outside organizations.
He said the upcoming congress could discuss this issue as well as a host of other problems that SPSI is facing. (rms)