Meeting to unravel labor dispute

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Investors, union leaders and government officials will hold a crisis meeting here on Monday in attempts to solve the lingering problems that have befallen the country's industrial sectors.

The meeting follows a spate of bad news for many sectors, including the shutdown of numerous plants, labor conflicts and the relocation of many factories to more labor-friendly countries.

"No target has been set up. But at least we are trying to seek a compromise," Anton Supit, a member at the Crisis Center and the chairman of the Indonesian Footwear Association, told The Jakarta Post.

It will become the first meeting to be facilitated by the Crisis Center since it was established by the government and business players two weeks ago.

The center seeks to become a troubleshooter for various problems now befalling the country's trade and business sectors.

Labor conflicts, which have been on the rise since the country launched political and economic reforms in 1998, have hurt many of the country's industries and scared away many investors.

Workers have demanded businesses pay them properly, saying that they are poorly paid. On the other hand, business groups claim that workers are demanding too much, and have failed to increase productivity. As a result, labor disputes are increasingly common, prompting a number of businesses to relocate overseas.

The meeting is hoped to bridge the differences between the two parties.

The meeting is scheduled to be held in Atrium Senen in Central Jakarta at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

No information was available as to whether Minister of Manpower Jacob Nuwa Wea or Minister of Trade and Industry Rini M. Soewandi would attend the meeting.