Union urges bank boycott

Union urges bank boycott

JAKARTA (JP): The Federation of All Indonesian Workers Union
is calling for social sanctions against the HongkongBank
management in Jakarta for refusing to reinstate more than 160
workers.

The management had requested permits from the arbitration body
of the Ministry of Manpower to dismiss the employees following a
strike in April.

However in July the body turned down the request, while the
management appealed to the Jakarta Administrative High Court.

Union chairman Bomer Pasaribu said the public, including the
business circle, should refrain from engaging in any activities
with the bank.

"We appeal to the public to blacklist the bank because it has
shown no indication that it will comply with the ruling on the
workers' fate," he said after receiving several representatives
of the Australian National Resilience Institute Thursday.

The South Jakarta district court has also issued an order that
the bank implement the ruling.

Bomer said the call for social sanctions was made as there is
hardly any other effective way to force the bank to abide by the
ruling.

He added the time has come for the public to boycott companies
found to have exploited their workers, or those who have ignored
the public interest and damaged the environment.

While the arbitration body rejected the management's wish to
dismiss the employees, it has permitted the dismissal of all 11
union executives at the Bank.

However Bomer and four other members of the arbitration body
who represent the union did not approve. The decision favoring
the management was based on voting, in which five members
representing the ministry and five others from the employers'
association Apindo, approved.

The union members were said to have instigated the strike,
which occurred when employees heard the 11 men would be dismissed
during negotiations of an extended collective labor agreement.

An international union called APRO-Fiet, launched a worldwide
campaign in solidarity of HongkongBank employees following the
ruling against the union executives.

APRO-Fiet is the Asian and Pacific regional organization of
the International Federation of Commercial, Clerical,
Professional and Technical Employees based in Geneva,
Switzerland. (rms)