RI set to sever trade-labor link

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia plans to fight all out at the upcoming annual conference of the International Labor Organization (ILO) to stymie attempts by industrialized countries to link trade with labor conditions.

Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief told reporters yesterday that Indonesia has already forged a common stand with the other five members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a meeting in Singapore last week.

Latief, who will head Indonesia's delegation to the June 6-10 meeting in Geneva, said he plans to coordinate another round of meetings with ministers from the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) ahead of the ILO conference.

"The President fully supports the steps taken by ASEAN," Latief said after meeting with President Soeharto at the latter's Jakarta residence on Jl. Cendana. "He said this is not only for the sake of Indonesia, but also of all the other developing countries."

Many industrialized countries are seeking to link trade with labor conditions and human rights issues, including the option of blocking trade with countries that fail to respect workers' rights. The fight is now on to include a clause to that effect in the ILO convention and at the newly created World Trade Organization (WTO).

Indonesia has opposed this link as a part of the policy that has also led the nation to reject attempts by industrialized countries to link foreign aid with human rights conditions. Indonesian officials argue that these sorts of connections amount to disrespect for the sovereignty of recipient nations.

Indonesia's delegation to the ILO meeting will include representatives from the All Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI), the employers association (Apindo), the House of Representatives and an advisory team. (emb)