NGOs accused of masterminding worker strikes

JAKARTA (JP): The government and PT Great River Industries have accused several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) of masterminding the recent massive strikes of the garment company's workers in order to further their own political interests.

Suwarto, the director general of industrial relations at the Ministry of Manpower, and company spokesman Safioen said on separate occasions yesterday that around 5,000 workers who went on strike on Tuesday and took their protest to the House of Representatives on Wednesday did so because some NGOs had incited them to do so.

"There are strong indications of political elements at play here. There are people who used those workers for their own political interests," Suwarto told reporters.

He pointed out that leaflets announcing the plan for the strike which were distributed by NGOs prior to the strikes suggested that the action would have caused significant impacts on "the economy and current political situation " in the country.

Suwarto said the strikes were not a "pure case of labor dispute" because the company has actually met the required, officially-set minimum wages.

"There's no violation of (the government's standards for wages and benefits) occurring...the strikes were political (in nature)," Suwarto said. "As such, this case fell beyond my line of duty."

Production at two factories of the giant garment company PT Great River Industries was disrupted on Tuesday when most of its workers went on strike to demand wage increases.

More than 5,000 workers turned up at the Cibinong factory, but did not report for work. Instead, they formed a picket line to prevent others from going in. On the next day, they went to the House to deliver their demands and were received by members of the minority Indonesian Democratic Party.

The workers said they demanded a basic wage of Rp 4,600 (US$2.90) a day, which is the official minimum level, plus transportation and meal allowances, bringing the total take home salary to Rp 7,000 ($3) a day.

Yesterday, Safioen, who is the operational director of the publicly listed company, told Antara that his company had already met the required minimum wages.

Safioen said that the company was merely an "intermediate target" for the worker activists.

"After this, they will move on to other targets with greater political bearings, which are the policy makers and the government-sponsored All Indonesian Workers Union", he said.

"Their demands are groundless whatsoever, because we have already met all the (official) requirements regarding the minimum wages," Safioen said. "We pay even higher (than required), if all other fringe benefits (the company provides) are included in the workers' salaries."

Greater actions

Great River's Administration Director L.O. Ginting said the NGO activists were actually targeting the government and the All Indonesian Workers Union, and were using the issue of human rights as their platform towards "greater actions" in the future.

"They want the regional minimum wage requirement to be increased to Rp 7,000 and that the government give workers the freedom to join labor unions which are not recognized by the government", he said.

He was referring to the Indonesian Prosperous Workers Union and the Center for Indonesian Workers Struggle.

Safioen accused the Center for Indonesian Workers Struggle and another group, the Indonesian Students Solidarity for Democracy, of playing a "pivotal role" behind the strikes.

"They have targeted Great River and PT Gadjah Tunggal companies...saying Great River has 15,000 workers so that it might drawn the attention of the public."

Safioen said his company has only 5,866 workers.

Suwarto said that 58 percent of the striking workers have returned to work.

Safioen expressed optimism that the company's production unit would soon return to normal because "the company has not taken any action against them, except against a few of them believed by the government to be the ones who incited fellow workers to strike after they received 'instructions' from the NGOs in question".

The government allows employers not to pay workers' wages if they are absent without clear and justified reasons, and to take other disciplinary measures against workers who fail to show up for work for six consecutive days.

The garment company is currently launching a "come-back to work" campaign, sticking posters and placards in every corner of its compound calling on the workers to stop striking.

The company has also reportedly begun negotiations with nine of the workers and formulated new joint working-agreements with them. (swe)