Workers want withdrawal of discriminatory decree
JAKARTA (JP): More than 600 workers loyal to the current leadership of the Federation of All Indonesian Workers Union demonstrated at the Ministry of Manpower on Wednesday to push the government to lift what they said was a discriminatory ministerial decree.
Minister of Manpower Decree No. 5/1998 makes it obligatory for labor unions to register with the government, a ruling which they said contradicted the ILO convention on freedom of association.
Holding banners reading: "Annul ministerial decree No. 5,' "Revoke the 1998 labor law," and "Stop dismissing workers", the protesters, all of whom came from the Greater Jakarta area, vowed to continue the campaign until the government acquiesced to their demands.
"We need freedom of association, not a ruling that bans us from unionizing freely. We don't need government intervention," said a worker.
Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris recently stated his refusal to lift the decree aimed at regulating labor unions.
Speaking on behalf of the workers, Alexander Sinaga vowed to return to the ministry with 10,000 workers from the Greater Jakarta area to press the minister to lift the decree.
"We have also written to President B.J. Habibie demanding that he reform the labor sector by, among other things, appointing a (new) manpower minister who is committed to helping workers who have been repressed for more than three decades," he said.
Alexander accused the minister of issuing the decree to create friction in the Federation of All Indonesian Workers Union and weaken it in preparation for a takeover attempt by the ruling Golkar.
"We will gather around 10,000 workers at the manpower ministry in the near future to press the minister to lift the ... decree.
"If he declines to lift it, we will ask him to stand down. It is useless to have a manpower minister who does not fight for workers' interests," he said.
He cited the International Labor Organization (ILO) decree, ratified by Indonesia in June, which guarantees workers the freedom of association.
FSPSI chairman Datuk Bagindo said the decree was responsible for the friction which is currently dogging the union.
"Sectoral trade union executives rebelled following issue of the decree on July 12. They set up an alternative central board and held a congress to gain legal and official recognition," he explained.
Datuk said that he had been working with several members of the central board to bring about a reconciliation in the union at a congress next February.
He said all sectoral trade unions were being encouraged to hold congresses to elect new leaders to head their delegations to the FSPSI congress.
C.H. David, president of the breakaway faction of the FSPSI, said his federation's executive board would take up Datuk's call for peace, provided the union was first reformed and then managed in a professional manner. (rms)