Labour groups call for establishment of alternative political party

Tribune News - May 1, 2014
 

Arif Wicaksono, Jakarta – Labour organisations are proposing the establishment of an alternative political party that would take up pro-people programs for the Indonesian nation. Up until now, there has been no political party that has been capable of providing welfare for the ordinary Indonesian people.

"This represents our mistrust of the existing political parties in Indonesia", said Santoso, a member of the Joint Labour Secretariat (Sekber Buruh) and the Political Alternative Committee (KPA) in Jakarta on Thursday May 1.

Santoso said that there are several issues that would be embodied in an alternative political party such as workers rights to a decent minimum national wage and the abolition of outsourcing. "This would include the provision of subsidies for the people such as for education, healthcare, food, energy, housing and transportation", he said.

The establishment of such an alternative political party would also be to build political unity in order to be able to fight injustice against workers, and to build a working class and people's political force as a tool of joint political struggle.

The Sekber Buruh and the KAP are made up of a number of different organisations including the Indonesian Workers Federation of Struggle (FPBI), the National Labour Movement Centre (SGBN), the Indonesian Workers Federation (FPI) and the Solidarity Alliance for Labour Struggle (GSPB).

Source: http://www.tribunnews.com/nasional/2014/05/01/organisasi-buruh-usulkan-partai-alternatif.

[Translated by James Balowski for the Indoleft News Service.]