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Indonesian unions look for influence in government
ABC Radio Australia - April 1, 2014
The Indonesian Trade Union Confederation has spent two years working on its strategy, and is putting in place candidates who will back its industrial campaigns and fight for worker rights in the corridors of power.
"It would be good if when we do action on the street, at the same time we have someone fight on our side on the parliament," said Obon Tabroni, the man crafting the campaign. "At least if they going to discuss something relating to our life, we would knew earlier, and we can give a quicker reaction or oppose it."
The union has chosen 40 candidates, a small number amongst the thousands vying for a seat across all levels of government. If the strategy pays off, it could be the start of a political presence for Indonesia's more militant union in a system that they feel is ignoring them.
The KSPI, as the union confederation is known as, is reaching out to its members and calling on them to support the union's candidates. At union gatherings and events, members and their families are shown ballot papers and how to make sure their vote counts.
"But of course it needs hard work, because this is a new kind of work, a new agenda in the labor movement, or the metalworkers movement in Indonesia," said Iswan Abdullah, a candidate for the national legislature.
The KSPI's Obon Tabroni says many Indonesians have been put off by politics because of rampant corruption and the domination of political elites, and don't bother to vote.
"The union confederation knows that it will have to turn this attitude, and aside from educating people about the ballot papers, will punish anyone found to be involved in graft," he said. "It is funding the candidates itself, with members contributing about 50 cents each." 'Small steps'
As part of its move into mainstream politics, the union is placing its people into several different parties rather than just one, and providing financial support. It means that one political party can't claim to own them, and also means those who make it to parliament could vote as a block.
"A big thing starts from small steps," Mr Tabroni said. "If we did not dare to take the small steps, we would not reach the bigger goal, we cannot dream that all the members of parliament are from the labor movement."
All of the candidates are drawn from the metalworkers union, which has proven to be the most assertive and organised of Indonesia's labour movement.
Obon Tabroni heads the metalworkers chapter in the industrial city of Bekasi, just outside of Jakarta, and has been in the thick of several campaigns, including the one that led to a substantial rise in the minimum wage.
The success of that was partly due to the fact that Indonesia's many unions joined forces and took their fight to the streets, winning support from local governments. Momentum in other areas has stalled, such as the casualisation of the workforce through the practice of outsourcing.
Since then, there has also been a split amongst the different union groupings. Some are concerned about aggressive tactics and what they see as economically unsustainable demands.
The confederation running the political campaign remains resolute about its goal, saying change for workers isn't happening fast enough.
"We are very serious, because we cannot afford to lose, if we lose, we're worried that the spirit of the members will drop, and they will lose interest in politics," Mr Tabroni said. "That's why we have to keep the spirit. If we miss this political target, the future challenge will be twice as hard."
Millions of Indonesians remain in the informal sector and have no rights at all, let alone belong to a union, and it remains to be seen if the union campaigns will help the most low-paid.
Indonesia's elections are a massive exercise. There are 560 national legislative seats up for grabs, plus thousands more at lower levels. For the first time in a decade, voting this year will culminate in a new president for the world's largest Muslim democracy.
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