Kompas -
May 3, 2010
Anung
Wendyartaka – To this day there has yet to be any visible sign of a
breakthrough in the improvement of workers' standard of living. On the one
hand, the basic rights possessed by the working class are still felt to be
inadequate and on the other, workers themselves appear to fail to appreciate
their existence.
These
conclusions were revealed in a Kompas survey conducted on April 27-29,
2010, which showed the low level of public appreciation for the government with
regard to the lives of the millions of workers in this country. More than
two-thirds (66.5 percent) of respondents believe that the government's role in
proving social security, as demanded by workers in this years May Day
commemorations, are still inadequate.
If asked to
elaborate, all of this dissatisfaction reflected in this assessment is linked
to workers' basic rights. On the issue of minimum wage policy determination,
there is a persistent debate between workers and those who employ them, with
more than two-thirds (69.7 percent) of respondents for example, believing that
the government's performance in determining the minimum wage is still lacking.
The
determination of the minimum wage has been a consistent tug of war between the
interests of employers and workers. Companies continuously endeavour to drive
wages down for various reasons, such as keeping down the cost component, so
their products are more competitive in the market or so employers can continue
to run their businesses profitably. Workers meanwhile are and will continue to
demand a decent wage in accordance with their expectations. It is here that the
government needs to play a role in acting as a bridge between these two
interests, a role that is still seen as lacking.
Reformasi
has not born fruit
It is not
just in the determination of the minimum wage and the provision of social
security that the public sees the government's role as inadequate, but also in
the issue of providing legal protection to workers. A high proportion of
respondents (79.9 percent) believe that the government does not provide enough
protection to Indonesia migrant workers overseas. The many cases of fraud,
extortion, violence and even death that often and repeatedly befall migrant
workers are evidence of the low level of protection provided by the government.
This
assessment appears to be little different from the situation recorded three
years ago, with the public's level of dissatisfaction with the government's
role almost the same as in May 2007. At that time, a survey conducted by this
newspaper showed that around two-thirds of respondents believe that the
government's efforts in improving workers' lives or providing protection to
workers were inadequate. Given this situation it can be said that the public
believes that there has been no perceptible improvements for the working class
in this country.
This becomes
is even more ironic when see that this dissatisfaction is occurring during the
era of reformasi or political reform. This May is the 12th year that
International Labour Day has been commemorated following the fall of former
President Suharto's New Order regime, which was viewed as being hostile towards
the labour movement.
After the
old regime's control ended, an important milestone was strengthened for the
labour movement in Indonesia. In 1998 the administration of President B.J.
Habibie finally ratified a number of pro-labour movement international Labor
Organisation (ILO) conventions. One of these was ILO Convention Number 87 on
the Freedom of Association that was ratified through Presidential Decree Number
83/1998 on the Freedom of Association and Protecting the Right to Organise for
Workers and Employees.
But although
workers have now enjoyed this freedom of association for 12 years, there are
still many cases of repression against trade unions and their leaders by
employers or the government siding with employers' interests in labour cases.
Because of this therefore, it is not surprising that more than half of the
respondents believe the government is still failing to guarantee workers' right
to organise (55.2 percent).
On the other
hand, the shackling of industrial relations problems that are generally
believed to harm workers also still springs up. The imposition of contract
labour systems or outsourcing for example, which is legalised under Article 64
of Law Number 13/2003 on Labour, is becoming increasingly commonplace. This
system, on the one hand, benefits employers because companies can be more
efficient and are able to reduce production costs by not having to pay for
employees' expenses.
On the other
hand however, workers suffer financial losses because of the lack of job
security. This is what was written about by Karl Marx who said that under
capitalism from the aspect of the division of returns from industrial
productions, wages are on one side and profit is on the other. Material objects
produced are equated as being on the same level as workers themselves. Workers
are alienated from produce of their own labour (Giddens, 1985).
Identity
fears
If the
external aspect of workers is seen as lacking support, a similar tendency is
also apparent in the internal aspect of workers themselves. Currently, one of
the problems that hinder the development of the labour movement in Indonesia is
the still low level of consciousness and solidarity among workers themselves.
This was
also revealed by the Kompas survey results. Of the respondents that were
employed, almost 70 percent stated that there is no trade union or labour
organisation in their workplace. Only around 23 percent of all employed
respondents stated that they were members of a trade union or other labour
organisation. Ironically, when asked whether there is a need for a labour
organisation in the work place, the majority of (56.9 percent) of working
respondents answered there was such a need because labour organisations benefit
workers.
This
situation is indeed a paradox. On the one hand workers believe there is a need
for labour organisations, but on the other hand the majority of working
respondents appear reluctant to be involved or become members or labour
organisers, let alone form a trade union in their workplace. Yet with the
ratification of Law Number 21/2000 on Trade Unions, workers are free to
establish a trade union even if there are only 10 employees.
This
criticism against workers' consciousness can also been seen from the reluctance
of working respondents in defining their states. The survey revealed that the
majority (45.2 percent) of working respondents prefer to identify themselves as
employees rather than workers or labourers. (Anung Wendyartaka/Kompas
Research and Development)
[Translated
by James Balowski.]
