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)