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Breakthrough in urgent appeal: PT Busana Indah Global |
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Tuesday, 02 February 2010 |
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January 2010 Update: This factory case has been settled and
the workers who were wrongfully dismissed have been hired back.
Owner:Hanil
Synthetic Fiber
What they produce: Acrylic Fiber: yarn
Who
they produce for: Walmart, Target, Hanes, Sports Authority, Sears
Summary
of problems at the factory:
- Violated workers’
freedom of association
- Violated and abused workers’ temporary
contract agreements
- Workers are paid poverty level wages
- Workers
are not provided with adequate health care; general lack of
transparency concerning workers’ social benefits
- Workers must
work excessive overtime that they are often not adequately compensated
for
The company Busana Indah Global (BIG) refused to
negotiate with Garteks, the trade union present in its company and
officially recognised by the local authorities in February 2009. The
union in the company was formed in response to excessive over time,
abuse of temporary contracts, low wages, inadequate health care and
other social benefits. In their struggle to start negotiations with the
company, Garteks militants and members were harassed and/or dismissed.
Three months after the union was formed on May 13, 2009, the Vice
Secretary of GARTEKS, who had worked at PT BIG for two years, was forced
to sign a letter of resignation prepared by the company. In response to
this, on the morning of May 25, 2009 twenty-five GARTEK members
organized a peaceful demonstration. The company responded by bringing in
large numbers of police squads, non-uniform policemen, as well as
thugs. During the demonstration, the manager of PT BIG told workers they
had two options:
to either resign from the union or resign from the
company. On May 26, 2009 the Chairman of the GARTEKS plant level board
along with 24 GARTEKS members were forced to sign letters of
resignation. Less than a month later on June 10, 2009, the Vice Chairman
of GARTEKS, a PT BIG worker for two and half years, was forced to sign a
letter of resignation from the company along with three other GARTEK
members.
Garteks is a partner organisation of World Solidarity in Indonesia,
and appealed for international support. WSM (and LBC-NVK, ITGLWF, CCC)
responded by sending a letter to the company in which we’ve asked to
recognise Garteks; start negotiations with Garteks; reinstate all
dismissed Garteks employees; and respect Indonesian labour law as well
as international labour conventions.
After months of union
busting, PT BIG finally started to negotiate with Garteks end 2009. The
negotiations resulted in an agreement:
- All dismissed Garteks employees will be reinstated!
- The
company promises to maintain good relations with Garteks
- Garteks
should send a letter to the ILO saying the company
respects the Indonesian labour laws (this is unfortunately not the case)
- Garteks promises to stop appealing to "interventions from
outsiders" (which may point to the fact that our letter had some
effect).
The last two points are concessions Garteks made. The strategy of
Garteks is now:
- to organize and recruit more members in the company (the return of
the former employees will help them in this)
- to secure better
working conditions and Collective Bargaining
Agreements for all employees.
Also see more details in International Labour Rights Forum
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