Victory for Indonesia's PT Micro workers

Bandung District Court judges have reinstated sacked PT Micro Workers and ordered that their salaries be paid.

"We warmly welcome the decision of the Industrial Court judges (PHI) Bandung District Court, after a panel of judges chaired by Mahmoud MH and Judge DR.Syahrul member Eko Wahyudi (adho) and Haris Manalu (adhoc) won the PT Micro Garment Workers and employers require or PT Micro Garment owners to fulfill the rights of workers," said Ikin Rahmat on Facebook.

After a trial that lasted one hour and 45 minutes, the judges ruled that the laid off workers should be re-hired and their salaries paid from May 2011 to November 2011 as well as allowances.

"Hundreds of workers, mostly women shouting slogans, could not stop crying over the decision of the judges to win the workers who deliberately stay in the Court of Industrial Relations District Court in Jalan Soekarno Hatta Bandung Bandung," reported Ikin Rahmat.

"Even though most of the workers are escorted by students and other labor activists immediately perform prostration of gratitude on page PHI Bandung office," he said.

SOURCE

Buruh Micro Garment Ancam Bakar PHI Bandung (Inilah Jabar)

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PT Micro workers maintain pressure

Laid off workers at the PT Micro Garment factory in Bandung, Indonesia are continuing to protest without success.

"Until today (June 22, 2011) there has been no real action from the authorities both at regional or national level to protect the workers who have been laid off unilaterally by employer PT. Micro Garment, Bandung, Indonesia," writes Ludovicus Mardiyono, from the International Network for Indonesia YCW.

"Actions continues by 186 workers who have been laid off. Today (June 22, 2011) until June 24, 2011 workers will came abuzz to the office of the Minister of labor and Transmigration, in Jakarta. They will stay in the office of the Minister to urge the Minister to intervene and resolve these mass layoffs case.

"To finance all this actions, the laid off worker has pawned their jewelry and motor bikes. In addition, this action is also supported by trade unions in Jakarta, Bekasi and Yogyakarta, which collects funds by busking on the market and city buses.

"Demands of the workers is that they be reinstated in accordance with the rules of wage employment Act. Their plan to dwell in labor minister office for 3 days and held talks with Minister of Manpower and Transmigration, Mr Muhaimin Iskandar.

"If possible (cost enough) they will come abuzz to the office of president and parliament which are not far from the Minister office.

"Call for support is expected from all sides both politically and financially. We thanks to all those who submitted their shouts to the government in Indonesia and to employer of PT. Micro Garment, also to the donors who have been providing financial support for our action," he said.

Action will continue until the demand for reinstatement of the workers is met, Mardiyono concluded.

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CCI condemns violence against workers

Cardijn Community condemns violence against struggling workers in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Cardijn Community International (CCI), an international development network, is deeply distressed at the way the workers’ struggles are handled in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.

In Indonesia, the PT Micro Garment Plant workers in Bandung are on strike from May 6 demanding reduction of working hours to 10 hrs a day and protesting against the dismissal of 460 workers during the dispute.

It has been brought to our notice that the police force which behaves as if they are the custodians of the property of the management used ‘force’ and brutally attacked the striking workers to disperse them from the factory gate. A pregnant woman was kicked by the police and had a ‘miscarriage’ and lost her baby. The police have cordoned off the area from May 31 parking their vehicles to prevent the workers from assembling at the factory site.

However, the workers are ceaselessly continuing the struggle in the hope of succeeding in their demands. International solidarity is gaining momentum and pressure is being mounted on the government of Indonesia to intervene in the dispute and render justice.

CCI is equally disturbed at the violence unleashed by the police on Monday, 30 May on the Free Trade Zone workers from Garment Factories who were protesting against a Private Sector Pension Bill which does not guarantee pension to the workers. Fr. Reid Fernando, Animator of the Young Christian Workers of Colombo Archdiocese has issued a statement condemning the ‘violence
generated by the police’. Log on to www.cardijn.info for more details.

We call upon the trade unions, civil society organizations and the international community to extend their support to the struggling workers in these two countries.

We also call upon the governments of Indonesia and Sri Lanka to intervene and render justice to the struggling workers and bring to rein in the erring and overzealous authorities.

For CCI International Coordination,
M. J. Ruben
International Convenor
June 1, 2011

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Worker kicked, loses baby

Indonesia YCW is reporting that workers are continuing their action at the PT Micro Garment Factory in Bandung despite intimidation and violence that caused one pregnant worker to lose her baby.

"Yesterday (31/5), the police had taken over the action area and they park their trucks on the action area in the front gate of the PT. Micro garment factory, the workers of PT. Micro Garment were forced to move around the truck, sitting around, peal pray and slogans. All the mothers who are pregnant was evacuated to the safe place," Indonesia YCW reports.

"Pressure, bad threat, terror and intimidation strongly increase done by the police, the workers getting more suppress physically and mentally.

"As you know last Friday (27/5), police brutally disperse the action and one the pregnant women lost her baby due miscarriage kicked by the police. They are suffering hunger now since they cannot collect the donation from the members anymore except receiving from workers from other factories and from people who sympathy to the action.

"Around 186 workers still continuing sitting around the police truck under the strong pressure now waiting the government and employer to grant the worker's demands.

"The YCW Indonesia planned to move forward to Jakarta to meet the labor ministry and human right commission to urge the central government to take immediately action to protect workers in PT. Micro Garment since till now the local government and parliament are only hearing the case without any proper action.

"Your solidarity and support are very essential to safe the life of the workers in PT. Micro garment and their family," the Indonesia YCW statement says.

Over 460 workers have now been sacked by the company, according to a workers' statement.

What you can do:

• Continue to pressure the Indonesian Government; president, labor ministry, parliament and ILO Jakarta.


• Meet Indonesian representative house in your country and put the petition to end the violation in PT. Micro Garment.


• Publish the case into the media in your country and international media you know.


• Financial campaign for PT. Micro Garment


• Petition targeting the ILO conference in Geneva which start today (June 1)


• Pressure the main buyer (NYGARD)


• Bring this case into your church and community, share and pray together.

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Police force Indonesian workers to disperse

Police have used "brutal force" to end a protest by women workers at the PT Micro Garment factory in Bandung, Indonesia.

"The Indonesian police sent around 300 personnel to dissolve the action of workers," reports a local YCW leader.

"The police forced the demonstrators to disperse and end the action immediately.

"The number of demonstrators are 186 workers and majority are women and some of them are pregnant. The situation are really bad and (there is) chaos now," the leader explained in an email calling for solidarity.

"The YCW Indonesia president (Ikin) took a decision to pull the workers from the location to avoid more victims," he explained. "Now the police still at the location to watch the situation and ready at anytime to hit the demonstrator at as the order of the employer.

"The employer now in the difficult situation due to bed quality of their production, even though they have change hundred of the workers but the their buyers are not satisfy with the quality of the goods. This week the employer is in Hong Kong to lobby the buyer to extend the shipping time of the order.

"Indonesia YCW is in critical situation now since the polices are really brutal hitting and kicking the workers and the employer making false propaganda using Christianity issue and force the neighbor against the workers," he continued.

"The call of YCW Indonesia is:

- Launch a financial campaign to help the workers of PT Micro Garment and YCW Indonesia

- Send your political pressure to the Indonesian authority (Don't send any letter to the employer)

- For the ILO delegation, please seriously bring this issue to the discussion (held the side event and invite the ILO officer and trade union and Indonesian minister)

- Please talk to Indonesian President (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in ILC). He will give special speech during the ILC since the International community think that Indonesia is the best sample for domestic workers protection program."

VHR Media also reports on the strike saying that 18 female workers fainted as a result of clashes with police.

Chairman of the Joint Labor Struggle Solidarity (GSPB) Micro Garment, Nana Ibrahim,said 18 women workers fainted during a clash between striking workers and policework and workers who will come to work.

"The atmosphere here is chaos. The police beat us," said Nana Ibrahim, chairperson of the Joint Labor Struggle Solidarity group (GSPB).

The PT Micro Garment workers have been on strike since 6 May and plan to continue until 6 June.

They are demanding a reduction of working hours to 10 hours per day and are protesting the dismissal of hundreds of workers because of the strike.

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