House offers to mediate for controversial labor bills
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak and Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Makassar
Following the indefinite delay to the endorsement of two bills on labor issues, the House of Representatives offered on Monday to mediate between employers and workers, both of whom are upset, in a bid to improve the draft laws.
House deputy speaker Muhaimin Iskandar said after receiving a delegation of workers, that a dialog forum would be held to accommodate the opinions of both the businesspeople and the trade unions in the evaluation of the contentious articles in the two bills.
"The bills on industrial relations dispute settlements and on labor development and protection will not be passed into laws until we improve them through an open dialog," he told protesting workers, rallying in front of the House compound.
Hundreds of workers from several trade unions said they hoped the House would scrap the bills in favor of completely new ones, arguing that the bills would hurt the workers' interests and basic rights.
Labor activist Dita Indah Sari expressed fear that the current delay was part of a strategy to calm the workers while creating disharmony among the trade unions.
"Although they would need some revision, we would be better off going back to the 1957 law on labor dispute settlement and the 1964 law on dismissal of labor from private companies," she said in her speech, referring to the labor friendly laws of the Sukarno era which were later superseded by Soeharto-era laws, which are largely in effect today.
Muhaimin said the existing laws and regulations were not protecting the workers enough and failed to recognize their basic rights, while the government was allowed to play a bigger role to pursue investment and create job opportunities.
Dita pointed to several contentious articles in the bills, such as the regulation on strikes which were considered to have too many administrative and procedural obligations, which if broken, would make the protesting workers considered criminals.
Under the bills, she said, the government would stay clear of giving protection to the workers as stated in a clause that the management should no longer ask approval from the government in any dismissals.
"Any disputes will be brought court. And that is unacceptable, because Indonesian courts are not trusted as institutions that will be fair to working people," Dita remarked.
The rally turned somewhat violent as the workers tried to force their way into the compound by tearing down the front gate. They also threatened to strike on Tuesday should the House respond unsatisfactorily.
In Makassar, South Sulawesi, around 200 demonstrating workers rallied near the entrance of Hasanuddin Airport to reject the two bills.
Police fired warning shots and tear gas, then beat them with rattan sticks and kicked those who had fallen.
Dozens were reportedly suffering from bruises and light injuries.
The incident started when the workers intended to express their rejection to the two labor bills to President Megawati Soekarnoputri who had just arrived along with her entourage, before continuing her trip to Manado, North Sulawesi.
Two platoons of police troops and the province's police mobile brigade blockaded the entrance so the workers could not advance.
During Monday's House plenary session, which was presided over by Muhaimin, all factions decided to take the initiative to issue a law on the annulment of the unpopular 1997 law on manpower which was expected to be passed on Friday, because, otherwise it would go into effect starting Oct. 1.