Workers protest for recognition of labor union

JAKARTA (JP): About 400 workers from garment factory PT Tae Yung Indonesia in Tangerang went to the Ministry of Manpower demanding the government press the company's management to accept the presence of an independent labor union in the factory.

The workers, including an executive of the Union of Solidarity for Garment Workers (Sesbugar), the labor union which Tae Yung's management opposes, staged a sit-in at the ministry, demanding a meeting with Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris .

The demonstrators, who brought sleeping bags with them, said they would spend the night at the ministry if the minister or senior ministry officials did not meet with them to hear their grievances.

Eko Saputro, a spokesman for the workers, demanded the government and the management of Tae Yung respect International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention No. 87 on freedom of association in order to help improve the workers' bargaining power with management.

"With the ratification last August by President B.J. Habibie of the ILO convention, workers should be free to establish their own unions. Neither the government or management have the authority to bar workers from forming unions apart from the government-backed Federation of All-Indonesian Workers Union," he said.

Eko, also secretary-general of the Federation of Independent Labor Unions, also urged the factory to rehire some 400 workers who were dismissed recently for joining Sesbugar.

"The management's actions are against the ILO convention. They should accept Sesbugar's presence as their new partner in promoting industrial relations," he said.

He said many companies in Greater Jakarta failed to comply the ILO convention guaranteeing the freedom of workers to form unions.

Supranto, Sesbugar's deputy chairman, said the establishment of the labor union at Tae Yung on Jan. 14 was greeted by harsh actions from the company's management.

He said Liu Hui Mook, the company's owner, called the union illegal, transferred union executives to a factory in Cibinong, Bogor, and dismissed workers who joined the union.

"Our union was registered at the local manpower ministry office in Tangerang and its establishment was officially reported to the management and local authorities," Supranto said.

Liu was unavailable for comment on Tuesday.

Supranto said the union held a number of talks with the company's management, but the latter defended its attempts to bar the union from the factory, saying it was attempting to safeguard production.

The House of Representatives commission on labor and mining, in a hearing with Fahmi here on Monday, called for the government's commitment in enforcing all ILO conventions, including the one on freedom of association.

Ismoe Handoko, a Golkar representative on the commission, said many companies in Greater Jakarta and industrial estates in the country refused the presence of new labor unions for fear of workers' improved bargaining power.

Fahmi pledged to look into the problem and promised he would take strict actions against companies found guilty of violating ILO conventions. (rms)