Jakarta – Labor rallies held in several major cities to commemorate World Labor Day were predominantly marred by vandalism and clashes between workers and police. Labor figures claimed that the government and parliament have never given enough attention to the problems of laborers.
In the West Java capital city of Bandung, hundreds of workers from industrial compounds clashed with the police in the afternoon after they were prevented from entering the regional administrative building.
The violence erupted after protesters tried to break the polices shoulder to shoulder chain preventing them from conveying their demand to local administrator members.
Bandung Police headquarters, which had anticipated the likelihood of riots, had deployed 400 policemen in the location. They managed to clear the protesters from the regional administration compound. A number of injured victims were seen in both parties.
Bandung Police Chief Adjunct Senior Commissioner Edward Syah Pernong was himself pushed to the ground by a protester.
The labors demanded that May 1 be proclaimed a national holiday, that violence ceased against labors and to be given part of the companys stock share. They demanded to have a session with Ruhiyat Noor, the Commission E Chairman in West Java regional administration to convey their demands. The protesters consisted of members of the Indonesian Labor National Front (FNBI) and National Student League for Democracy (LMND).
Meanwhile in the East Java capital city of Surabaya, at least 1,000 also held a demonstration before their regional administrative building.
Some of them were seen committing vandalism, including damaging a vehicle belonging to a local official. In Jakarta, labor rallies was conversely conducted in solemn manner.
Workers held conducted rallies at two strategic points, in the national square located in front of Presidential Palace and in the key roundabout before Hotel Indonesia in Central Jakarta. The rallies, attended by at least 1,000 labors of numerous factories in Jakarta, Bogor, Bekasi and Tangerang, were conducted peacefully.
In her speech that addressing the rally, a labor activist of FNBI Dita Indah Sari criticized the parliaments negligence of the accumulating problems experienced by laborers. They never give a damn about workers problems. The labor draft which has already been issued does not provide benefits to laborers, Indah sari said. We regret that we casted our votes for these so-called representatives in the last general election, she added.
In agreement with Indah Sari, another national labor figure Muchtar Pakpahan criticized President Abdurrahman Wahid and accused him of ignoring the plight of laborers. Gus Durs government never takes the side of the laborers, and the political parties only struggle for their own political interests, said Pakpahan, referring to Wahids nickname.
Meanwhile Executive Director of International Labor Organization (ILO) Kari Tapiola, who participated in the rally, said that working conditions in Indonesia are often categorized as the worst.
She called on companies and labor unions to develop a relationship based on cooperation and support, while avoiding foreign infiltration. The relationship must be renewed and there should be no foreign infiltration, Tapiola said.