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12 June 2008

INDONESIA: PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYEES SUSPENDED 
FOR GOING ON STRIKE!

PSI is calling on its affiliated organisations to send letters to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the Republic of Indonesia protesting against the summary dismissal and suspension without pay of members of Serikat Pekerja PT. Angkasa Pura1 trade union, a PSI affiliate. The workers in question have been victimised as a result of their participation in strike action on 7-8 May 2008. 

PSI understands that this is the first public sector strike to take place in Indonesia and that workers in other public services and state-owned enterprises are awaiting with interest the final outcome of the union’s actions.

Background
Angkasa Pura 1 is the airport traffic service and airport company in Indonesia. It controls 11 airports in the Eastern Area of Indonesia Islands. It used to be a state company but in 1993 the government turned the company into a public enterprise or state-owned company. In 2003, workers in Angkasa Pura 1 formed their own union instead of joining the Government Employees Association and began negotiating the first Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). A second CBA was negotiated in 2005, but the management of Angkasa Pura 1 has unilaterally varied the terms of the agreement including on pay, pension entitlements and health and retirement allowances.

Despite numerous attempts over the past 3 years by the union to resolve the dispute through negotiation, including mediation, the management of Angkasa Pura 1 continues to refuse to implement the CBA in full. Furthermore, the management has placed increasingly tighter restrictions on the union’s activity, intimidating and threatening union activists. 

Although the union took steps to ensure the maintenance of services directly related to the safety of human lives during the strike, the management reacted to the strike by immediately dismissing one employee for “violating a disciplinary action, by holding a strike and ignoring his obligations to serve the public”, and suspending seven others for three months without pay for allegedly “planning, provoking and mobilising other employees which resulted in hindrance to the smooth and safe airport operation of PT. (Persero) Angkasa Pura 1”.

The dismissed employee is Mr Arif Islam, Chairman of Angkasa Pura 1 union, Sepingan branch. 
The suspended employees are:
1. Ms. Sulistiani, General Secretary, Serikat Pekerja PT. Angkasa Pura 1 (SPAP 1)
2. Ms. Sri Rejeki, Head of Human Resources and Development, (SPAP 1)
3. Ms. Milda, Headof Legal Department, (SPAP 1)
4. Ms. Asnawaty, General Treasurer, (SPAP 1)
5. Mr. Trijono, Chair of head office branch
6. Mr. Effendy Sulistiono, Secretary of head office branch
7. Mr. Florentinus Subandi, Field Coordinator for head office branch.

Management has continued to intimidate union members by blocking access to computers and several workers who took part in the strike are facing interrogation by Internal Affairs Security.

PSI is asking its affiliated organisations to write letters of protest to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono calling on the government of Indonesia :

• to immediately re-instate the dismissed and suspended employees with back pay and; 

• to abide by its obligations under international law to guarantee the fundamental rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression; 

• to ensure that trade unionists can exercise those rights free from intimidation, harassment and victimisation. 

Please use the attached model letter or click here to use the online form. Please remember to send copies of your letters to the PSI Asia-Pacific Regional office (katsuhiko.sato@world-psi.org) and to PSI Headquarters (rights@world-psi.org) as well as to the Indonesian mission in your country.

Background information: 
September 2007: Intimidation of union leaders
March 2008: Failure of management to honour CBA
May 2008: Workers on strike dismissed without pay
Angkasa Pura 1 case heard by the International Labour Conference Committee on the Application of Standards 

Downloads:
Download model letter (word)
Download urgent action appeal (word)

His Excellency Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 
President of the Republic Indonesia 
Office of the President – Istana Negara
Jakarta – Indonesia

Date

Dear President,

Dismissal and suspension of Angkasa Pura 1 workers 

Name, Organisation, is reacting forcefully to the dismissal and suspension without pay of striking workers at Angkasa Pura 1. We vigorously condemn this further manifestation of union-busting tactics, intimidation and harassment of workers and union activists by a management that has persistently failed to honour the terms of the collective agreement entered into in good faith by the workers in 2005. 

The strike action was a last resort taken by the union Serikat Pekerja PT. Angkasa Pura 1, an affiliate of Public Services International, following a number of attempts to resolve the dispute through negotiation. The management of Angaska Pura 1 has repeatedly demonstrated its bad faith by reneging on the collective agreement and hiding behind the pretext of ‘shareholders’ decisions’.

That management can renege on such agreements at will does not augur well for industrial peace and good relations. It also ignores the interests of the wider public in ensuring a quality, reliable service, based on the fair treatment of the workers engaged in delivering that service.

Name, Organisation, welcomes the intervention of the House of Representatives Commission IX and calls on your Government to ensure that its recommendations are implemented in full and without further delay.

Name, Organisation, demands the immediate re-instatement with back pay of Mr Arif Islam, Chairman of Angkasa Pura 1 union, Sepingan branch in Balipapan, who was dismissed on 7 May for allegedly “violating a disciplinary action, by holding a strike and ignoring his obligations to serve the public”.

Name, Organisation equally demands the immediate reinstatement with back pay of the workers suspended on 7 May, namely 

1. Ms. Sulistiani, General Secretary, Serikat Pekerja PT. Angkasa Pura 1 (SPAP 1)
2. Ms. Sri Rejeki, Head of Human Resources and Development, (SPAP 1)
3. Ms. Milda, Headof Legal Department, (SPAP 1)
4. Ms. Asnawaty, General Treasurer, (SPAP 1)
5. Mr. Trijono, Chair of head office branch
6. Mr. Effendy Sulistiono, Secretary of head office branch
7. Mr. Florentinus Subandi, Field Coordinator for head office branch.

Name, Organisation, calls on your government to abide by its obligations under international law to guarantee the fundamental rights to freedom of association and freedom of expression; and to ensure that trade unionists can exercise those rights free from intimidation, harassment and victimisation

Yours sincerely, 


Name
Organisation
Country

Copies:

• PSI Asia Pacific Regional Office

• Indonesian mission of your country

• Ms Rika Tjiptanig, Head of House of Representatives Commission IX (Fax: +62.21 5756045 - E-mail: komisi-9@dpr.go.id)

• Mr. Sofyan Jalil, Minister for State-Owned Enterprises, Republic of Indonesia (Fax: +62 21 3864442)

• Mr. Erman Suparno Minister of Manpower (Fax: +62.21.5256559 and +62.21.7974488)
  

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