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Jakarta Post

Investing in labor strength, one timid step at a time

Members of the Indonesian Army (TNI) and the National Police guard a May Day rally in front of Batam City Hall, Batam

Ati Nurbaiti (The Jakarta Post)
Sun, November 24, 2013

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Investing in labor strength, one timid step at a time Members of the Indonesian Army (TNI) and the National Police guard a May Day rally in front of Batam City Hall, Batam. (JP/Fadli) (TNI) and the National Police guard a May Day rally in front of Batam City Hall, Batam. (JP/Fadli)

Members of the Indonesian Army (TNI) and the National Police guard a May Day rally in front of Batam City Hall, Batam. (JP/Fadli)

The rallies around late October projected workers'€™ obstinance while they enjoyed at least a few days off, as businesses chose to halt or reduce production pending the city administration'€™s decision. But as in previous years, workers used each opportunity to invest in union strength.

The main opportunities are around May Day and ahead of the decisions on new annual minimum wages towards the end of the year. In the post-reformasi years workers have been eying the extra political space to organize within and beyond the factory.

They notify the police ahead of strikes and the police must be seen to be watching out for orderly rallies '€” so police chatted in the shade of the trees near City Hall, instead of standing guard with batons in hand.

Despite the many unions in industrial areas such as in North and East Jakarta, workers say this does not mean it is easy to organize. A group of workers amid one rally in front of City Hall said they had just set up their union a few months ago. Suddenly there was another union in the factory, workers of the perfume plant in Cakung, East Jakarta.

More than one union on the shop floor is now legal and workers see it as an effective management tool to divide and conquer.

'€œMy job now,'€ said the factory union leader Zainal Arifin, '€œis shoveling soil'€ outside the plant for no obvious reason. The younger union leaders, mostly under 35, have all been offered early retirement as the factory is '€œgoing bankrupt'€.

'€œBut our factory is still exporting perfumes three times a week,'€ said his colleague.

An East Jakarta union leader, Narso, urged Zainal to immediately report union busting, which is illegal, given the management threats to fire the leaders following the national strikes.

Workers and union leaders could not explain their strategy to gain larger numbers, given their worst enemy; not employers and police; but the ranks of Indonesia'€™s unemployed and underemployed, many who might be worse off than factory workers.

They acknowledged it was easy for management to fire them given the throng of jobseekers. But one worker, Nuraini, said she has yet to be tempted to take the offer of Rp 56 million and retire after over 10 years of service.

'€œI would have to struggle to set up a small business, while at the factory I'€™m struggling already, what'€™s the difference?'€

Despite those lining up for their jobs, workers said they could not compromise much with employers. '€œWhen the management agreed to pay the new 2013 wage of Rp 2.2 million, they said, '€˜OK, but you will not get the THR [the compulsory annual extra monthly wage for the Islamic festivity of Idul Fitri]'€™.'€

Thus, workers said their actions were to put pressure on the managements to pay them the basic rate, so they would not be fired, at least not immediately.

Last year, without big strikes and rallies, managements were not about to pay the new wages, Zainal'€™s colleague said. He said his company management claimed that it had requested a delay to pay the 2013 wage level, but workers found that their firm was not among those making such a request.

Non-permanent workers, known as '€œcontract workers'€, with even less allowances are also among the rally participants. Gaining more secure employment was another agenda in the rallies, apart from appealing to workers'€™ awareness elsewhere.

'€œWe called for strikes for higher wages, so workers in rural areas where employers say they might relocate, will also demand higher wages,'€ said another union leader, Jumisih.

The unions'€™ mantra: Stop the politics of cheap labor. A statement straight from the mouth of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono following last year'€™s strikes.

Researchers confirmed factories were looking to relocate from urban areas to new industrial centers in rural areas where living costs are cheaper and where workers have not began to organize themselves.

So even if the workers with over 10 years of service realized they would not get much more than the new recruits, '€œwe'€™ll likely spend the night'€ in solidarity, a worker said.

'€œAlhamdulillah [Thank God],'€ said one peanut vendor.

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