JP/4/Editorial

Lessons from Medan

If the latest reports from Medan are correct, then the ban on further labor protests which the North Sumatra security authorities issued late last week in the wake of some ugly rioting has been of limited effect at best.

In Jakarta, reports said yesterday evening that far from having abated, the demonstrations and rioting by protesting laborers had spread to nearby towns. At least 29 persons were being held by the police for questioning as an estimated 9,000 workers from 22 factories continued their protests.

As was reported during the weekend, the trouble started on Friday, when about 10,000 workers rallied in Medan to demand that the government raise the daily minimum wage in the province from the present Rp 3,100 (US$1.44) to Rp 7,000. The workers also demanded that the government allow them to set up an independent trade union and that it investigate the death of a labor activist whose body was found in the Deli River last month.

As if this was not enough, reports said the SBSI -- which organized the Medan labor protests although it denies having a hand in the rioting -- was threatening to organize more strikes if the government refuses to raise the minimum wages for workers throughout the country. Specifically, a SBSI official mentioned Lampung, Tangerang and Surabaya as target areas for such actions.

Two conflicting aspects may be noted with regard to the Medan incidents. First, there is the persistent demand that the government's allow the establishment of a trade union which workers regard as independent. So far, the authorities have been steadfast in their refusal to permit no more than one labor union, the government-sanctioned All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI).

The irony of the situation is that it is precisely this policy that is undermining the credibility of SPSI and making it unacceptable in the eyes of many workers -- not to mention the union's apparent failure to effectively stand up for the rights of its members. Considering the persistence of such demands and the effects that a stubborn refusal can have on the country's cherished stability, it may be judicious for the government to allow more leeway for workers by providing them with such options. Surely, adequate yet acceptable regulations can be devised if a certain degree of restraint is regarded as still necessary.

Of more immediate concern, however, is the second aspect of the problem, which puts at stake the credibility of SBSI -- the only currently existing "independent" alternative to SPSI -- as an effective and responsible organization. As much as we sympathize with the workers' demands, we do not believe that the course the SBSI leaders are taking at present will benefit either the organization or the workers in general in the longer term.

A number of points may be raised. First, there is the question of our national security and stability -- exceedingly important matters which, under the present circumstances, define the boundaries of what is possible in this country. Can the SBSI guarantee that it will be capable of controlling any large protest movements in such places as Tangerang and Surabaya? The Medan example shows how difficult this can be.

One more glaring example of how easy it is for demonstrations to get out of the organizers' control is the Malari incident of the 1970s, when initially orderly student protests against the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Kakuei Tanaka turned into uncontrolled riots that, in a manner of speaking, almost set Jakarta ablaze. Up to this day the question of how that could have happened is still a subject of speculation. In any case, for those who were involved in those riots, or witnessed them, surely the lesson is one that is not easily forgotten.

Another point worth considering is that a minimum daily wage of Rp 7,000 may not be very realistic and, therefore, difficult to push through at the present stage. As much as we support efforts to improve the lot of our workers, we believe that the rational thing to do is to maintain a proper sense of realism and balance. After all, whether we like it or not, factories have to stay in business and make sufficient profits before they can improve their employees' welfare.

All in all, we think there is a lesson to be learned for both employers and workers in the Medan incidents. There are, of course, miserly employers, and for them it is well to remember that it does not pay to keep testing their workers' patience. For the protesting workers, and for the leaders of the SBSI in particular, it is good to remember that actions, if recklessly chosen, can be counter-productive.