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)