ILO warns against police intervention in labor disputes

ILO warns against police intervention in labor disputes

A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The International Labor Organization (ILO) called on Wednesday
for the National Police to refrain directly intervening in
negotiations and disputes between workers and employers.

The ILO's representative in Indonesia, Alan Boulton, said the
police, who are supposed to undergoing internal reform, were
expected to focus on maintaining order and upholding the law in
industrial disputes.

The world body and the United States government have been
working together with the Indonesian government to provide the
police with training on labor disputes.

Boulton said the project, funded by the U.S., would support
progress in workers' rights and the sort of police reform given
the police's role in the new industrial relations environment in
Indonesia.

"However, it is not the role for which ABRI was often
criticized in the past, where there was direct interference in
negotiations and disputes between workers and employers," he
said.

ABRI is the local acronym for the Indonesian Armed Forces, the
official name by which the military used to call itself. The
armed forces now simply style themselves as the Indonesian
Military (TNI).

Boulton said the project would involve curriculum development
and training, the formulation of guidelines on how strikes,
lockouts and labor disputes should be handled, and improved
cooperation with the Ministry of Manpower.

U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce said the program
was part of funding to the tune of over US$40 million intended to
help the police play their proper role in a democratic society.

"The ILO project complements existing U.S.-funded police
programs and expands that assistance into a new field important
to civil society," Boyce said.

He said the police role in industrial disputes, such as
maintaining law and order, could contribute to harmonious
industrial relations.

Manpower minister Jacob Nuwa Wea agreed with Boyce, saying the
project would contribute to an improved investment climate here.

In comments that seemed to run against the whole purpose of
the training, Jacob said the police should not hesitate to take
firm against workers.

"If they (workers) are out of order, it's OK for the police to
slap them around them a little bit. We often slap our children at
home if they are naughty, don't we?" he said.

Meanwhile, National Police Deputy Chief Comr. Gen. Kadaryanto
admitted that the police often sided with the employers when
handling industrial disputes.

"Through this training, we hope to improve our knowledge of
how to handle labor disputes," Kadaryanto said.

Separately, lawyer and labor activist Surya Tjandra expressed
fears that the project would only increase abuses by the police
against protesting or striking workers.

"In a situation where workers have no bargaining power, the
police will continue to favor the employers," said Surya, a
former director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute.

He leads a number of non-governmental organizations which are
seeking a judicial review of Law No. 21/2003 on manpower affairs.