By Jana D.K.
JAKARTA — On September 1, 6000 workers stopped work at the PT Khong Tai Indonesia Rebok shoe factory in East Bekasi, West Java, over wages and conditions. Strikers erected signs with slogans such as "Don't cut our wages", "Hi, thief" and "Fire the personnel manager".
Workers are demanding the sacking of the personnel manager and the general manager, Ronal Siahaan. Since Siahaan's appointment in April, work has been increased to 11
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55D> hours a day, and employees who are late are forced to stand in the sun. A number of workers have fainted during the punishment.
They are also demanding transport allowance, one-hour breaks (instead of half an hour), attendance allowances after three months and wage increases to Rp 2100 (A$1.40) per day for workers who have been with the company for three months and Rp 2600 for those employed over six months.
The following day, the strike resumed with workers protesting by throwing their meals on the factory floor — covering it with rice, vegetables and bean curd. Negotiations between 18 worker representatives on the one hand and company management, Department of Labour and the SPSI (All Indonesia Workers Union) on the other, began later in the day.
Without informing workers, management also reported the strike to the Kodim (District Military Command) and Polres (local police). As of September 3, workers were still negotiating their demands.
On the same day in the East Javanese city of North Malang, 4000 workers at the PT Bentoel cigarette factory also went on strike. Workers demanded wage increases, transport and meal allowances and wage restructuring to accommodate length of employment and experience. This is the first strike at the factory, which has been operating for 63 years.
Later in the day, 39 worker representatives met with the company management, Department of Labour and the head of the Malang SPSI, Marsidik Salamoen. At 1 p.m. workers were told that an agreement had been reached and the results would be announced by the company on October 2.
The following day, however, workers refused to begin work and gathered outside the factory grounds. Reporters were told that they wanted to know the results of the meeting immediately and were not prepared to wait until October 2.
They were also angered by the company's failure to inform them that it had handed the case over to the government. Soldiers were also called in to "keep watch" over the situation.
The strike was in response to an incident which occurred during an inspection of the factory by the Sixth Parliamentary Commission on August 10. A machine operator, Jummakiyah, was asked by the commission how much the daily wage was, to which she replied Rp 2550. At that moment, one of PT Bentoel's directors, Santosa, interrupted saying that the workers actually received Rp 10,000 per day.
Then in a surprising statement at the end of August, Marsidik supported Santosa, telling reporters that the strike was the result of a "misunderstanding" and that Santosa actually meant that the lowest wage was Rp 2250 and the highest wage was Rp 10,000 or more.