Workers protest ban on headdress

Workers protest ban on headdress

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of Moslem female workers, of an electronic company, in dispute with their employers over their religious headdress brought their case to the House of Representatives yesterday.

Saihani, Endang Widuri, Elvi Suryawati and 32 other workers of PT Sanyo Jaya Component Indonesia told legislators from the Moslem-based United Development Party faction that in addition to being locked out of the factory, they were also harassed.

"The company won't let us work again unless we take off our headdress," Saihani said.

"The management isolate us, and prohibit us from working, eating and praying with the other workers," Saihani said. "They put us in rooms usually used to keep workers' shoes and bags in, and in other storerooms."

"The storerooms are hot, dusty and suffocating," Elvi said, tearfully.

The workers charged that the company's management upbraided them for their decision to wear the head scarves to work, calling them "insane" and pressuring them to take off the headdress.

"The management said we are locked out because we violate company rules," the workers said.

The workers said they have already lodged their protests with the local office of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas, local unit of the Indonesian Labor Union and the Bogor legislative council, but so far have not seen any progress in the dispute.

The company's managers could not be reached for comments yesterday evening.

The United Development Party faction's leading members Anshary Sjams, Bachtiar Chamsyah and Ahmad Muflih Saefuddin promised the young workers they would bring their grievances to Commission VI, in charge of manpower and industries. They also took the workers to meet with members of the Armed Forces (ABRI) faction.

Saefuddin went so far as to promise the workers that his faction would invite both Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief and Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher to explain the government's policies about workers displaying religious insignia.

"We believe you, and that your decision to come here is not engineered by external parties, but honestly out of your wish to adhere to your religion," Anshary said. "You shouldn't worry."

"I'm personally touched by what you are experiencing...the problem is, there are no national policies for workers who want to wear religious dress to work," Saefuddin said.

"However, wearing religious headdress is your fundamental right, and the company you work for has violated this right by barring you from work and for isolating you," he said.

Saefuddin also lashed out at leaders of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas for "passively" waiting until disputes over religious insignias, such as the one the Sanyo workers are experiencing, become serious before taking action.

Saefuddin suggested that the female workers take legal action if they don't see any progress in their problems within the next three months.

A source told The Jakarta Post that the workers have already contacted a lawyer.

The workers said that when they applied and started working for the company, they were not wearing the religious headdress. Last July, they requested permission from the local labor union unit to "apply the Islamic code of dress".

After this effort failed, the workers decided to go on with their intention and started wearing the headdress. They were then summoned by the management, told take off the head scarves or resign. (swe)