Latief asks workers not to go on strike
Latief asks workers not to go on strike
SIDOARDJO, East Java (JP): Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief
told 1,000 workers here yesterday to resolve their industrial
disputes on the negotiating table, not on the streets.
On July 8 and July 9, over 10,000 workers took to the streets
of Surabaya demanding higher wages and political change.
Latief assured the workers from a local industrial estate that
the government was very concerned about workers' welfare and
always ready to help solve labor disputes.
"I am obliged to fight for your interests... protect you from
exploitation. It's my task to improve your socioeconomic
conditions and help enhance your skills and productivity," he
said.
"Regional minimum wages, for instance, have been raised by 106
percent since 1988, annual bonuses and allowances have been made
obligatory and workers have received social security
insurance..."
He said that street protests were not a suitable way to press
workers' demands because they harmed both laborers and employers.
"Workers and employers should stick to the musyawarah, or
deliberation for consensus, principle and strikes used only as a
the last resort," he said.
Two dozen student activists affiliated with the Democratic
people's Party (PRD) were arrested in the July 8-9 strike on
charges of masterminding it. Three of the students will stand
trial soon. The others have been released.
The military has said that the activists may be charged with
subversion. This is the most serious offense under Indonesian
law, carrying a maximum penalty of death.
The striking workers demanded that their minimum wages be
raised from Rp 3,900 to Rp 7,000. They also wanted reform of the
political laws which they saw as obstructing democracy.
The province, which is home to over 6,200 companies employing
around 1.2 million workers, has been hit by several strikes over
the past three years.
Some workers told the minister that experience had proved that
employers would only meet workers' demands when they went on
strike.
Sunarto, 23, a labor activist from Mojokerto, said that many
employers were yet to see their workers as equal partners and
vital assets.
Suryo, 46, from Surabaya, said that most of the labor strikes
were triggered by management's ignorance of workers rights.
"For instance, most of the 400 workers in our electronic
assembly factory in Surabaya are yet to included in the social
security program ,jamsostek," he said.
Later yesterday, at a seminar attended by business executives,
Latief said that entrepreneurs should pay better attention to
their workers' welfare.
"If you want to win the competition in the global market, you
must have quality human resources to produce quality products.
Workers whose incomes are still low will not be able to improve
their productivity and skills," he said.
He warned that labor strikes, if not handled carefully, could
be a serious threat to economic and political stability and
security; the basic factors needed for economic development.
(rms)