OVER THE last two years there has been a growing strike wave throughout Indo. nesia.
The end of 1995 saw a new wave of strikes on Java which both the authorities and employers were unable to control. This is set to continue.
Sritex of central Java, one of the largest textiles factorles in Asia, saw half of its 12,000 mostly female workforce walk ment's refusal to pay the minimum wage and offer any kind of sick pay.
The workforce brought the factory to a standstill for 48 hours until the management capitulated. workers from the Clove Cala colony, hou Bol, walked out not receiyed their annual New Year bonus in full.
This strike was held after the goverment run union, the SPSI, had negotiated a 75 per cent agreement with the management. The strikers marched to the offices of the SPSI to pro. test at Its actions and were Joined by 500 workers form other cigarette factories who The government claims many strikes are political. In a repressive country almost any activity is identified by the authorities as political such disputes the had the same grievances. This dispute is still not resolved. In East Java there is an ongoing action by workers at the Maska Perkasa shoe company in Jombang. The strike over wage levels has met with widespread support from the local populatim.
Local activists have set up a solidarity committee and have organised demonstrations of up ,to five thousand people to show In the face of government has clalmed that many of the strikes are political. In such a repressive country almost any activity can be identiRed by the authorities as political.
The strikes indicate both the growing confidence of Indonesian workers and the develop. ing political space that mass action is forcing open on labour Issues.
What worries Suharto is the increasing co-operation between pro-democracy and labour movement organisations in Indonesla. The fear is that. the emergence of a mass movement that fuses both democratic and economic demands could lead to a radical change of regime which would destroy the Suharto oligarchy's control
1 ( Socialist Outlook 96 • February3, 1996.