Jakarta – Thousands of workers in the country's main cities took to the streets Wednesday to voice their objection to the proposed revisions to the 2003 Labor Law.
The workers decried the controversial revisions which they claimed were pro-business while sacrificing workers' rights. The revised law is scheduled to be submitted to the House of Representatives for deliberation next week.
At least 5,000 workers coming from various groups in Malang city and regency in East Java demonstrated in front of local government offices. Through street theater, the protesters illustrated how "the workers have had to bend to the government and businesspeople's demands".
According to Tasman, of the All-Malang Workers Alliance, the revisions would not protect workers. "The revisions will only profit businesses. The revisions are only to legitimize the repression of workers," he said.
In Central Java, some 200 workers in Semarang and Kudus regency aired similar opposition to the revisions which they claimed robbed workers of their basic rights.
"We reject the revision. Under the 2003 Labor Law, we've already lived in misery. If the government goes ahead with the revision, it will bring destitution," a protest coordinator said in his speech in Semarang.
In Batam, Riau Islands province, some 2,000 workers from the All-Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI) protested against the revisions, demanding the city administration support workers by rejecting the revisions.
While meeting Batam Mayor Ahmad Dahlan, Batam's SPSI chairman, Edwin Harjono, voiced workers opposition to the revised bill, saying the revisions were simply made to satisfy capitalists.
"We also demand the Batam City Council and the House of Representatives maintain workers' rights, protection and welfare," Edwin said, threatening that workers would hold a massive protest if the government ignored their pleas.
Workers in tourism sector in Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, said they were against the revisions, especially the one which allows foreigners to work in the human resources department of companies. "They (the foreigners) might try to get rid of local workers," charged Bambang Sumedi, a protester.
The protests had forced at least 140 out of 600 textile companies in the West Java towns of Bandung and Cimahi to temporarily stop operations.
Chairman of West Java's Indonesia Textile Association, Ade Sudrajat, said Wednesday some companies closed to avoid financial losses in case the protesting workers went on a rampage. The companies, he said, would meet to decide when they would resume operations.
The closure was responded to coldly by workers, with secretary-general of the National Workers Union (SPN) in West Java, Edi Antara, conceding the owners right to do so. "They can go ahead (with the closure), it's their right, but we're fighting for our rights," Edi said.
Responding to the closure, chairman of the Indonesian Business Association in West Java, Dedi Wijaya, said the association's members did not want to experience the same losses caused by a sudden halt in their factories' operations last week.
"Last week's protest forced 90 percent of (textile) companies in West Java to halt operations and the total losses were estimated at Rp 70 billion (US$7.7 million)," he said.
He expressed hope that the government would pay attention to the workers' protests since the ongoing protests might disrupt orders received by the companies. "We appreciate the workers' right to protest or go on strike but it would be better not to disadvantage the factories," Dedi said.
In the East Java capital of Surabaya, protests by hundreds of workers caused massive traffic jams along main roads connecting Surabaya and Sidoarjo.
PT Maspion's human resources director Andi Tjandra said he hoped the government would immediately solve the labor problems. "We don't want these matters to continue, we want to get back to work."