Labor movement in Indonesia still weak

Labor movement in Indonesia still weak

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The recent protest involving only about 3,000 workers in Jakarta,
instead of the threatened 25,000 people, is further proof of how
weak the labor movement in Indonesia is, and of its failure so
far to harness its potentially powerful political leverage, say
labor experts.

The fragmented labor movement is seen as one of the main
contributing factors to the failure of the protest, according to
former manpower minister Bomer Pasaribu

"Unions in Indonesia are similar to political parties. There
are too many of them, but only a few of them have clear programs
to fight for their common goals," Bomer told The Jakarta Post on
Monday.

Official records show that there are more than 60 registered
national labor union federations, 140 labor unions and some
11,000 company-level unions.

Those unions have an estimated combined membership of 11
million workers.

The huge membership claimed by labor unions could become a
powerful political force if they united to fight for their common
interests.

"Unfortunately, these unions are divided based on ethnic
group, religion and political affiliation. Not to mention the
various organizational, managerial and leadership problems that
also affect them," said Bomer, who is also the chairman of the
Center for Labor and Development Studies (CLDS).

Another factor, according to labor expert Tutur Suwito, is the
low social awareness of workers. Consequently, they will join
rallies or protests only if the issues directly affect them
individually.

"Many workers decided not to join the recent protests (against
the price hikes) as they had yet to feel the effects of the
hikes," said the former chairman of the Jakarta Labor Institute
(IPJ).

"If the price hikes cause their company to lay them off, it is
only then that they will react to the hikes. It has always been
like that with other issues. Instead of proposing programs that
could improve their welfare, workers impulsively react to
existing policies," added Tutur.

Weak leadership is also responsible for the unions' failure to
mobilize large crowds to protest the recent price hikes.

Many unions in Indonesia were founded, and later managed, by
non-governmental organization (NGO) activists, such as Dita Indah
Sari and Muchtar Pakpahan.

This, sometimes, inadvertently results in the workers being
too dependent upon their activist patrons, thus impairing the
capacity-building process among the workers themselves.

This weak leadership is also the result of the long history of
oppression instituted by former president Soeharto, who allowed
only government-sanctioned unions to exist.

This New Order oppression has impaired the labor movement's
ability to groom potential leaders from among the ranks of
workers, and also significantly increased the workers' distrust
of unions.

The labor movement has grown significantly since the fall of
Soeharto, and, in fact, several labors unions, according to
Bomer, have shown their ability to pursue a clear agenda and
mobilize their members in doing so.

"Labor unions in state-owned companies are far better than
those in private firms. They are more capable of mobilizing their
members and are less tainted by particular political interests,"
he said.

In order to empower labor unions, Bomer stressed the need for
an improved labor law, especially after the implementation of
regional autonomy.

In addition, Bomer suggested the establishment of an equal and
meaningful bipartite relationship between workers and employers,
and a tripartite relationship involving the government, so as to
facilitate negotiations to resolve disputes.