UNIONISTS AGAINST CORPORATE TYRANNY
Indonesian Parliament passes Bill on labour unions
JAKARTA -- The Indonesian People's Representative Council(DPR) yesterday
unanimously passed a Bill that would guarantee the freedom of workers to
form their own labour unions, a report said.
The Bill was passed during a plenary session of the DPR with all 10
parliamentary factions providing their support, said the state Antara news
agency.
"With the passing of this Bill, it is hoped that all labourers and workers
will be able to enjoy equal rights to further their interests," Manpower
Minister Bomer Pasaribu said.
The Bill stipulates, among other things, that labour unions should be free,
open and independent.
Mr Pasaribu defended the inclusion of a stipulation which enables a court
to disband a union. A court can only disband a union if it can prove that
the organisation had or is believed to have committed a crime against state
security, the minister said.
"This shows that the House and the government have tried to observe the
supremacy of law,which is actually the basic foundation for the reform
movement."
The freedom to organise labour was restored after Mr Suharto quit in 1998.
--AFP
The Straits Times neglects to mention that Suharto was actually overthrown
by mass mobilisations of workers and students. it ignores the fact that
thousands of worker activists have been jailed, injured or murdered under
the regime and that the repression against forming unions continues.
FNPBI (National Front for Indonesian Struggle) leader Romawaty Sinigha will
be speaking at UACT seminars in Melbourne Sunday 27 August and Sydney
Saturday 2 September. this is an opportunity to hear the facts and build
solidarity.
Melanie Sjoberg
--
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