Senior official attends SBSI meeting

Senior official attends SBSI meeting

JAKARTA (JP): The government for the first time turned its
attention to the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI) here
yesterday as Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris delivered a written
speech to a meeting of the former rebel trade union.

The minister's speech was read out by a member of his expert
staff, Payaman Simanjuntak, at the opening of a union meeting.

The government has never formally recognized the SBSI, which
was formed in April 1993, despite recently ratifying the United
Nations Convention on Freedom of Association and Protection of
the Right to Organize.

However the mere fact that a senior government official
attended the meeting was in sharp contrast to the kind of
treatment previously accorded to the SBSI.

The military have refused to give the SBSI meeting permits on
several occasions and broke up its maiden congress in Cisarua,
Bogor, West Java, in 1994 and several other meetings which it
held in North Sumatra and Jakarta.

In the past the government recognized the Federation of All
Indonesian Workers Union (FSPSI) as the only sanctioned workers
union.

Muchtar Pakpahan, who founded and leads SBSI, was sent to jail
for allegedly provoking riots during a workers rally in Medan,
North Sumatra, in 1995.

At yesterday's meeting, which was attended by Muchtar and 800
workers from the Greater Jakarta area, the minister called for
strong trade unions to help improve workers' welfare and
productivity.

"In ensuring the freedom to organize among workers, the
government will encourage the establishment of strong,
professional and independent trade unions to improve workers'
competitiveness and ensure peaceful industrial relations in the
future," he said in his speech read out by Payaman.

The minister expressed hope that professional and independent
trade unions would educate workers on their rights and
obligations and carry out training programs to improve their
productivity. (rms)