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)