House offers to mediate for controversial labor bills
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Sukarno era which were later superseded by Soeharto-era laws,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.