SPSI needs strong leadership: Soeharto

SPSI needs strong leadership: Soeharto

JAKARTA (JP): President Soeharto said yesterday that the All
Indonesian Workers Union (SPSI) should be a strong and
professional organization because Indonesia is entering the era
of economic liberalization.

"For that purpose," he said, "SPSI must be led by leaders who
have their grassroots among workers."

Soeharto, opening the congress of the government-backed labor
union at the State Palace, said that SPSI leaders must be able to
manage the union professionally and channel the workers'
aspirations properly.

The congress will hold other sessions at the Caringin weekend
resort in West Java, and last until Nov. 19.

Attending the opening ceremony were Minister of Manpower Abdul
Latief, SPSI Chairman Imam Sudarwo and approximately 250
participants from throughout Indonesia.

Soeharto said Indonesia should be ready to meet challenges
resulting from international economic openness and free trade.

"We should work hard to improve efficiency and human resources
effectivity in order to win competition," he said.

He said to face future challenges Indonesia should improve the
quality of its workers and provide them with expertise in all
fields.

Soeharto also said that SPSI should become a professional and
strong labor union and this can only be achieved if it wins the
workers' support and trust.

SPSI will be able to handle all workers' problems if it
improves its professionalism, Soeharto said.

The President said that SPSI should also work hard to
strengthen its weak position in its relations with the government
and employers.

Soeharto said that due to the fact that there are now so many
business sectors, SPSI should be geared to become a federation,
comprising labor units from each sector.

"This step will make it more professional," he said.

Soeharto said that, under the Indonesian system of industrial
relations, labor strikes and factory closures are no longer
effective in the efforts to find a solution to labor disputes.

"Both labor and the business management should realize their
own roles and responsibility and should respect one another as
partners," he said.

"All differences of opinion in bipartite, or tripartite,
bargainings can be solved peacefully, provided the bargaining is
conducted in openness and democratically," said the President.

Latief said that the congress is expected to be able to
improve the labor union's image.

"The labor organization should intensify its training
programs, strengthen its bargaining position and improve workers'
awareness of the Pancasila industrial relations concept," he
said.

According to the minister, the government will continue to pay
attention to the improvement of workers' welfare.

"As a concrete step, the government has raised the daily
minimum wage by 48 percent during the last 18 months and provides
annual Christmas and Idul Fitri holiday bonuses and social
security insurance for workers.

He warned the participants that labor problems in the future
will be more complex due the rapid growth of the work force.

"The number of those in the work force, by the end of the
second stage of the 25-year development, in 2018, will increase
from the present 70 million, to 120 million.

This means that we will need a strong and professional labor
union," he said. (rms)

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