JAKARTA — On February 11, 500 workers from clothing manufacturer PT Matahari Sentosa I in Bandung, West Java, staged a sit-in at the parliament building here. The workers, members of the militant Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggle (FNPBI) trade union, were demanding a 100% wage increase from their present daily pay of 7700 rupiah. This does not cover their living costs, which have increased more than 200% in recent months.
The day before, together with workers from Kahatex and Primatex in Bandung, West Java, the unionists protested at the local parliament building.
PT Matahari Sentosa I, one of Indonesia's largest garment factories, produces clothes for export to the United States, Europe and Australia. Among the workers other demands were the end of military and police involvement in the political system (the dual function of the military), that workers be allowed to join unions other than the government-approved All Indonesian Trade Unions (SPSI), and the abolition of racist discrimination on the job. The workers reported that promotions are given only to people based on their ethnic background.
The demand for the end of the dual functions of the military has arisen from the workers' daily experiences. Soldiers intimidate workers at the factory who gather for political and union discussions.
One worker at the Jakarta protest, Nasro, told Green Left Weekly: "In my work place, management hired police from the special mobile brigade [known as Brimob] to be field supervisors. In this way, the company can control the workers. There is no way for us to talk to each other. We also have to face attacks [from them] whenever we try to 'escape' from the factory to give solidarity to other workers on strike or to protest to government representatives or local parliamentarians."
Nasro also reported that police and members of the local military had intimidated workers not to leave for the Jakarta protest. Some workers were scared and did not leave.
The PT Matahari Sentosa I workers' struggle has been a prolonged one, with the first protests taking place a year ago. After a week-long strike that ended on February 23 last year, the company and workers signed two agreements that contained important improvements in working conditions, such as a Rp1000 meal allowance, the provision of transportation and uniforms, awards for diligent workers and the creation of a health and safety facility within one year. The agreements have yet to be implemented.
Leaders of the protest in Jakarta asked to meet members of the parliamentary commission which deals with labour issues. No commission members were prepared to meet the workers, except Yakob from Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P), who is also chairperson of SPSI.
However, Yakob asked the workers to leave because it would be hard to get the company to negotiate. The workers then asked to speak to the minister of labour power. "I voted for PDI-P in the last election", one worker, Heri, said, "but a person like Yakob does not seriously support our struggle".