House, labor union condemn killing of Kadera worker

JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives and the All- Indonesia Workers Union Federation (FSPSI) condemned the killing of a striking worker of car upholstery producer PT Kadera A.R., saying the case must be investigated thoroughly.

The joint statement was aired in a meeting between Deputy House Speaker Muhaimin Iskandar and 500 workers who are members of FSPSI at the House on Friday.

"The police must arrest the killers and the group who launched the attack and also the masterminds behind the incident," Muhaimin said in front of the workers.

Kimun Efendi was killed last week and two others were badly tortured by dozens of young people from a group called FMCI (Forum of People who Love Indonesia) when the victims and hundreds of other workers of PT Kadera were on strike on March 29, 2000, to fight for an improvement in their social welfare, according to the joint statement.

Jacob Nua Wea, chairman of the All-Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI) alleged that the people were paid by the company to counter the workers' demonstration.

Muhaimin also called on Minister of Manpower Al Hilal Hamdi to take concrete and quick action to help solve labor disputes in the company and enhance cooperation with the police to investigate the case.

"The House gives a guarantee the case will certainly be investigated completely and all those who are allegedly involved, both directly and indirectly, will be brought to court," he said.

Jacob said the case is similar to the killing of Marsinah, a female worker of PT Cipta Putra Surya in Surabaya, East Java, who was killed in 1995 when along with her colleague workers she staged a strike to improve labor conditions in the watch spare- parts factory.

There is a strong suspicion of military involvement in Marsinah's case, but until today it remains a mystery.

Jacob said there was no reason for the police not to be able to investigate the current case thoroughly because numerous workers who joined in the peaceful demonstration knew the identity of several attackers.

He said the workers would give the police 30 days to carry out the investigation and they would continue their strike until a thorough investigation was carried out.

Jacob also called on the government to prevent Kadera's management from leaving the country until the case is resolved as they suspected that they were behind the attack of the striking workers.

He said the attackers were from a group calling themselves the Forum of People who Love Indonesia. Contrary to the name, its members were actually "hoodlums," Jacob said.

"The hoodlums who attacked the workers were paid by the company's management," he said.

Japanese investors own 90 percents of the company's stakes.

In another development, around 100 workers who are members of the Indonesian Labour Union Confederation (Gaspermindo) staged a demonstration in front of the United Nations (UN) office, rejecting the intervention by the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) in the internal affairs of the Indonesian Seamen's Association.

"We reject any international intervention in local trade unions, including ITF's demand for an independent seamen's union, because it is against International Labour Organization article No. 87 on freedom of association," Jumhur Hidayat, chairman of Gaspermindo, said when he received several staff from the UN's representative office here on Friday.

ITF has recently called on the government to withdraw its officials who occupy important positions within the Indonesian Seamen's Association, in order to allow the trade union to be independent. (rms)