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Jokowi gains support from labor unions
Amid protests by various groups signaling widespread distrust of the government, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo may have gained support from an unlikely source: labor unions
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span>Amid protests by various groups signaling widespread distrust of the government, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo may have gained support from an unlikely source: labor unions.
Jokowi met with leaders of the nation’s two-largest labor unions at the Bogor Palace on Monday, apparently to discuss a planned revision of the 2003 Manpower Law.
After the meeting, All-Indonesia Workers Union Confederation (KSPSI) president Andi Gani Nena Wea and Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) chairman Said Iqbal expressed their support for the Jokowi
administration.
While the KSPSI has supported Jokowi since the 2014 presidential election, Said's endorsement came as something of a surprise given that the KSPI had been a vocal supporter of Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto's presidential bid.
"Workers are part of the people, and we have an interest in communicating several ideas to the President and to ensure that the government carries them out in a constitutional and peaceful manner," Said explained after the meeting on Sept. 30.
A number of other labor groups have criticized the meeting and accused the leaders of working toward their own interests.
Congress of Indonesia Unions Alliance (KASBI) chairwoman Nining Elitos said the meeting was "inappropriate", especially given that, at the same time, KASBI and other labor groups had protested a number of issues, including a revision to the Manpower Law.
"The whole [labor] movement should act together to work for the interests of the majority, not just the short-term interests of a few," she told The Jakarta Post. "Labor leaders shouldn't be making decisions based on their personal ties to those in power."
She said everyone in the labor movement was free to support whoever they wanted but that they should not be "blind in their support".
Jumisih, the chairwoman of the Inter Factory Laborers Federation (FBLP) and deputy chairwoman of the Indonesian Labor Union Confederation (KPBI), echoed Nining's comments.
"[KSPSI and KSPI] have the right to support the government but they do not represent all workers," she told the Post. “The FBLP's position is clear, as long as the government creates policies that put workers and people at a disadvantage, we will fight against them."
Ellena Ekarahendy, the chairwoman of media and creative workers union Sindikasi, said that while the meeting was disappointing, it was not entirely surprising.
"The KSPSI has supported the government for a long time, while the KSPI has been overtly political, declaring support for Prabowo and also running in the legislative elections," she said.
Said Iqbal, however, has denied that any personal agendas were behind the meeting and also rejected the idea that it showed fractures in the labor movement.
"We respect any elements of the labor movement that want to communicate their aspirations by taking to the streets, as long as they are not violent. We ourselves have met with the President to ensure that our aspirations reach the government," he told the Post. "But I think our goals are all the same, it is just our methods that are different."
He also denied that there were any political deals made during the meeting. Said had been promised the position of manpower minister by Prabowo last year and had seemed to imply that the possibility was still open, telling reporters after the meeting that the President was "considering" his suggestion that "the labor ministry be headed by [someone] from a labor union".
Said laughed off the suggestion that he was referring to himself. "That was just a spontaneous remark I made and it was not actually discussed during the meeting," he told the Post. "And what I meant was that Andi Gani should be given the minister position, since he was very helpful to Pak Jokowi during the campaign. It would be impertinent to ask for the position myself since I was not involved in the campaign."
He added that the KSPI would still take to the streets when deemed necessary, such as the protests on Wednesday aimed at preventing a pro-corporation Manpower Law and an increase in Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) fees.
Firman Noor, head of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences’ (LIPI) political research center, said the meeting showed that the labor movement remained fragmented.
"But perhaps the dual role of labor unions, with some supporting and some opposing the government, could help them achieve their goals more quickly," he said. "The important thing is that not all unions are absorbed by the government."
He added that the support of the two-largest labor confederations would be a boon for Jokowi, who, despite his down-to-earth image, has had a strained relationship with unions.
In other provinces, workers joined university students and other groups in staging protests against Jokowi. Starting as rallies against the speedy deliberation of controversial bills at the House of Representatives, various groups have taken it to the streets, voicing their disappointment with the government.
— Apriadi Gunawan contributed to the story from Medan.
