Great River workers take protest to House
Great River workers take protest to House
JAKARTA (JP): Striking workers of PT Great River Industries,
one of Indonesia's leading garment manufacturers, took their
ongoing protest in demand of better wages and conditions to the
House of Representatives yesterday.
By 10 a.m., about 2,000 of the striking workers had assembled
at the gates of the House building. Most of them came from Bogor
by public transport.
The workers began their strike on Tuesday, demanding, among
other things, a salary increase to at least Rp 7,000 per day, as
compared with their current Rp 4,600 ($2) per day.
On Tuesday, some 6,000 workers from Great River's two
factories in Bogor marched to that city's legislative council to
seek support for their cause.
Yesterday the workers were again joined by dozens of students
and activists who had also taken part in Tuesday's march.
In contrast to the Bogor march, which was watched closely by
more than 100 police officers wearing riot gear, there were only
handful of police officers and House security guards in
attendance yesterday.
The protest proceeded peacefully, albeit noisily, and the
workers went home after being received by two members of the
minority Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) faction -- Sabam
Sirait and Soetardjo Soerjogoeritno.
The protesters sought the PDI's assistance in securing the
release of seven of their number who have been in police custody
since Tuesday's march, when they were arrested after a series of
brief scuffles with police.
Great River, a publicly-listed company, produces top-of-the-
line brand products such as Arrow, Triumph, Choya, Cerruti,
Disney, Donna Karan and Swatch.
The management has offered to re-negotiate the company's
collective labor agreement with representatives of the All
Indonesian Workers Union's (SPSI's) factory unit. It has insisted
that the wages it is paying are in compliance with the
government's minimum wage legislation, which provides for a
minimum of Rp 4,600 per day for workers in West Java.
The workers argue that the government's minimum wage levels
refer to basic wages and that allowances, such as for
transportation and meals, should be paid on top of that.
The workers are also demanding that they be allowed to set up
an independent union, saying that SPSI has failed to fight for
their interests.
Sabam Sirait told the workers that the PDI considered their
demand for a minimum take-home wage of Rp 7,000 per day to be
"fair".
He said that various surveys had found that most companies
could pay their workers higher wages if they were not burdened by
so many "invisible" costs.
The term usually refers to unofficial payments levied on
companies by various government agencies, as well as additional
costs resulting from the cumbersome nature of government
bureaucracy.
Sabam said his faction supported the workers' demand that they
be allowed to establish their own union outside of the SPSI.
The SPSI is the only labor union in Indonesia recognized by
the government.
Sabam said the PDI planned to summon the management of PT Great
River over the matter. (29)