Latief leans harder on employers than workers

Latief leans harder on employers than workers

By Ridwan M. Sijabat

SURABAYA (JP): Maintaining harmonious industrial relations in
Indonesia is more the responsibility of employers than workers.

That was the message Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief gave
during a whirlwind visit here Friday to meet employers and
workers in Surabaya, Gresik and Sidoardjo.

Two things were on Latief's mind as he made unannounced visits
to industrial plants to talk with employers and workers:
employers must pay workers Idul Fitri allowances equal to at
least one month's salary and comply with the minimum wage
regulations.

The government increased minimum wage levels in all 27
provinces last month. In major industrial centers in East Java,
the monthly minimum wage was increased 10.4 percent from Rp
120,000 (US$50) to Rp 132,500.

Although the increases are not effective until April 1, Latief
has been touring major cities these past weeks to garner support
for the increases and ensure employers' compliance.

East Java has a key place in his campaign.

The province has witnessed some of the country's most serious
industrial unrest in recent years, including several violent
incidents.

It was here that activists associated with the Democratic
People's Party (PRD) allegedly organized labor protests. Some of
the PRD leaders currently on trial in Jakarta and Surabaya are
charged with leading the labor demonstrations in East Java.

If Latief has been campaigning particularly hard this year, it
is because 1997 is an election year, and, as events in many parts
of the country these past few months have indicated, the tiniest
trouble can easily turn into a massive and uncontrollable riot.

"We should learn from past experiences," Latief said during
the meetings with employers and workers.

"Businesspeople should help create a climate conducive for
investment and help maintain political stability, especially in
the run-up to the general election," he said.

Given East Java's industrial might -- 25,000 companies employ
more than 1.8 million workers in the province -- it is easy to
see why Latief recognizes the potential for chaos triggered by
labor conflicts.

"Such disputes could be misused by third parties to incite
demonstrations and violence," he said.

The tone of Latief's message however was clear: employers
should shoulder the majority of the responsibility to avoid
disputes.

Most labor conflicts in the past, he said, resulted from
managers' ignorance of workers' rights.

The obligation to pay Idul Fitri allowances and the minimum
wage policies are all based on the country's labor laws.

"Employers, without any exceptions, are expected to comply,"
he said.

Those who infringed the law would be prosecuted, he promised.

The minister cautioned employers against ducking their
responsibilities, saying that workers are increasingly aware of
their rights and more assertive in securing them.

During the one-day tour of industrial plants in the three
towns, Latief was accompanied by East Java Governor Basofi
Sudirman, Association of Indonesian Employers Chairman Suratno
Hadisuwito and Federation of the All-Indonesia Workers Union
Chairman Marzuki Achmad.

Basofi said the provincial administration had not received any
requests from local companies for exemption from the new minimum
wage regulations.

He also used the occasion to appeal to workers to be wary of
attempts by antigovernment forces wanting to create chaos by
inciting violence.

Strikes would hurt workers as much as employers, he said.

Marzuki said his federation would encourage workers to fight
for their legal rights, but urged peaceful methods which ensure
the maintenance of harmonious industrial relations.

"Workers should struggle in a peaceful way. You are not
forbidden from going on strike, but you should first go to the
negotiating table and talk with management to settle disputes.

"Strikes should only be used if negotiations fail," he said.

Local union leaders said they could not fight their battles
alone to secure workers' rights.

Agum Sarjono, 31, head of the federation unit at PT Behaestex,
a textile company in Gresik, said the provincial administration
and the East Java office of the Ministry of Manpower should lean
harder on employers to respect workers' rights.

He said that besides the minimum wage and Idul Fitri
allowance, other rights also often provoke conflicts with
management; he cited the struggle for overtime payments,
menstruation leave and transportation allowances as examples.

Agum recalled one particular dispute over wage increases he
once negotiated with management. The two sides were deadlocked
and they eventually agreed to take the case to the Ministry of
Manpower. "The union was ordered to accept the management's
proposal", he said.

Soeryanto, the federation's representative at PT Keramik
Diamond Indonesia in Sidoardjo, stressed there was often a lack
of goodwill on the part of management in resolving labor
disputes.

This has led to deadlocked conflicts and strikes, he said.

Latief said the best way to avoid industrial unrest is for
management and workers' representatives to sign a collective
labor agreement stipulating the rights and obligations of both
parties.

"The agreement, that should be renewed every two years, should
include the grade-based remuneration system," he said.