Workers protest for recognition of labor union

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)