Transportation strike in Jakarta unlikely

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.