Transportation strike in Jakarta unlikely

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Agus, a minibus driver who works out of the Kampung Rambutan bus station in East Jakarta, is in a somber mood: his income has fallen to Rp 15,000 a day due to the recent increase in the price of diesel fuel.

Jakarta's minibus drivers are among those most hurt by the fuel price increase, because they who have to pay for the fuel -- not the bus owners. Many of the drivers are in favor of going on strike to protest the price increase and demand a rise in bus fares.

"Of course, I'm not happy with the decreased income. If by January 9 the fares are not raised, minibus drivers in Jakarta will go on strike," said Agus.

But it appears that Agus' words are just his anger boiling over. In truth, there are no organized plans for a strike and not all drivers agree with Agus.

Budi, another driver, thinks raising bus fares would not solve the problem.

"The last time fares were increased, I had to pay the bus owner more for the daily rental fee. So my income did not increase."

Therefore, he is not eager to go on strike. "But if there is a mass strike in Jakarta, I will join it for the sake of solidarity," he added.

While public transportation drivers in Bogor did go on strike on Monday, leaving thousands of commuters stranded, drivers in Jakarta remain divided over whether or not to strike.

"I would join a strike if it involved all the drivers. But if only some of the drivers went on strike I wouldn't join them, because it would only benefit the drivers who did not strike," said Ijot, a minibus driver at the Senen bus station in Central Jakarta.

But the road to a comprehensive public transportation strike in Jakarta is long and difficult.

There are approximately 3,600 registered public buses operating in Jakarta, meaning that there are thousands of transportation workers in the city. And these workers do not have one all-encompassing union to represent them.

Dita Indah Sari, chairwoman of the National Front for the Struggle of Indonesian Workers, said her group did not have a division to represent transportation workers.

She said that compared to workers in the manufacturing industry, transportation workers were more difficult to organize.

"They work alone, one or two workers per vehicle. And they compete with each other to get more passengers. There is no collective spirit among them in the workplace. They rarely communicate with each other," she said.

For example, the Blok M bus station in South Jakarta is designed in such a way that buses cannot pull over to allow drivers to take a break. Thus the drivers never have the opportunity to talk to each other.

Although not all bus stations are designed in this way, there is still very little communication between drivers. The only real bond exists among drivers who work the same route.

"These drivers have arisan (social gatherings). But to my knowledge not all routes have such arisan, and if they do not all of the drivers take part," said Iman, a vice chairman of Kopaja, a cooperative of minibus owners.

Despite the lack of communication, Agus' displeasure is shared by Ijot, but Ijot cannot communicate his discontent with other drivers. Many of the drivers want a mass strike, but they are all waiting for an unambiguous signal.

"They are the most passive workers. They wait for others to initiate a strike," said Dita, who has been active in labor issues for the past 10 years.

So, for the time being, Jakartans do not have to worry about having to get to their offices by skateboard or on foot, the way residents of Paris did in 1995 when transportation in the city was paralyzed by a massive strike.

Although the buses in Jakarta are not luxurious, Agus and the other drivers are always ready to work to earn a living.