They still jail trade unionists Labour leader Dita Sari was released from jail in July after serving three years of a five-year sentence for organising workers to fight for their rights. Max Lane Since her release Dita has been helping lead the Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggles (FNPBI). "We have a lot of work to do. The movement here is still small and weak... We are not ready yet to transform the FBI into a full-scale trade union federation," she said. The FNPBI is a united front of local worker action committees that Dita considers the "embryo of a future trade union federation."
The FNPBI held a public launch meeting on August 1st. In her speech, Dita said the FBI would be ready to transform itself into a trade union in six to 12 months. 12 International Viewpoint #314 September 1999
"We have the embryo of a garment, textile and footwear union, and also in the chemicals and transport sector. Our organisers have led important actions in a number of cities, most recently in Medan. There have also been important strikes in Surabaya in East Java, especially in the cigarette sector. Our base in Surabaya has only recently been reactivated and the progress is going well. The best thing is that the workers themselves are ready to struggle, especially around their pressing economic needs."
The meeting confirmed Dita's statement about the enthusiasm of the workers for struggle. An hour before the scheduled starting time, the auditorium in central Jakarta was almost full. Workers from all over Java had bussed in that morning, as had delegations from several other cities. All were young. Half were women.
"I have been to several of our bases here in Jakarta already", Dita had explained the evening before, "but there are many organisers and bases that I haven't been able to meet yet. Tomorrow will be a good chance to speak to a bigger section of the membership."
The launch lasted for about four hours and had several highlights. A fantastic workers' theatre presentation inspired the audience with the need to struggle while taking the micky out of the bosses and supervisors, the military and the hired thugs whom workers have to deal with every day.
A poetry performance almost 30 minutes long had the audience in stitches, as well as shouting their defiance. A moving rendition of the movement's hymn, "Blood of struggle", ", brought the workers to their feet to reaffirm their commitment.
Dita began her speech by explaining how worker activists had, in 1994-96, formed the Indonesian Centre for Labour Struggles (PPBI) and how it had been crushed following the 1996 crackdown. Dita was arrested then, as was the PPBI secretary-general, Ignatius Pranowo, who is still in jail.
PPRI activists were hunted down by PPBI activists were hunted down by the military, and known bases of support were terrorised. There was a massive black propaganda campaign.
"So the movement had to rebuild using new methods", Dita said. "Local committees were established wherever there were worker protests and wherever workers could be organised more permanently.
"We did not struggle under the PPBI banner, but used the banners of local organisations. Now, the FNPBI can bring together many of these local groups and help provide the movement with a national perspective."
In asserting the need for a national organisation, Dita outlined the situation in this period of reformasi (reform). "There have been changes since Suharto was forced to resign. There are many things discussed in the newspapers that could not be discussed during the Suharto era.
"There are many new political parties. There are even many new trade unions, more than 15. The idea that you can protest and demonstrate has spread throughout society... But if we ask what concrete benefits have there been for workers, we must conclude that there has been little change. It's true that the law has been changed to allow trade unions other than the [government-created and -controlled] SPSI, but when we try register there are many bureaucrati obstacles in our way.
"There is a dualism in the government's policies. At the top, changes are announced, but at the base nothing changes. Our activists are still being i midated and beaten up by thugs paid by the bosses."
Dita affirmed many workers' experiences: "The "security approach' and the use of violence is still what we see en
day at the grassroots level. They want to intimidate us so that we are too frightened to become activists."
On this point, Dita appealed to representatives of other unions present (including the All Indonesia Workers UnionReform, the Prosperity for Workers Union of Indonesia and the Indonesian Muslim Trade Union). "Let's unite behind a single agenda to end this terror and intimidation, to abolish the dual function of the military" , She said.
During our discussion the evening before the meeting, and again a tew days later, Dita emphasised that the big challenge was to awaken the workers? movement to the need to take up political issues. "The big upheavals of 1998 passed most workers by", she said.
"I received reports in prison that very few workers joined the big demonstrations and actions against the dictatorship. That is why the FNBI has adopted political demands in its program as well, especially the demand for the abolition of the political role of the military."
It was clear at the public meeting that the overwhelming majority of FBI workers fully supported the political program adopted at their founding congress several weeks earlier. But Dita emphasised the point in her speech:
"The workers' struggle cannot be for just wage rises, transport allowances, menstruation leave and so on, although these are all important. The workers' struggle is also a political struggle.
"Even to win on basic economic conditions, we must also end the terror. While the military is able to intervene in all our struggles, it will always be difficult to reach fair agreements with the employers. Workers must be able to participate fully in determining the outcome of all government decisions affecting their lives."
Dita also addressed the need to put workers' welfare on the national political agenda. "Did Megawati Sukarnoputri, in her recent speech outlining her policies, mention anything to do with workers even once?" ", she asked. "No" , shouted the audience. "But who voted for Mega? To whom does she owe her winning position?", , Dita asked.
She answered, "She owes it to ordinary workers and ordinary folk. We + tea for Docoonr must and will demand that the PDI-P [Megawati's party] meet its responsibilities to the people who voted for it. We will put forward our program for what any new government must achieve for the workers in its first 100 days!"
But to win these demands, Dita went on to explain, it is insufficient to struggle alone. She referred to the history of joint actions between students and workers in the early '90s and how there were also students who had become activists in the FNPBI. "But we must reach out beyond the students as well, to farmers and to the urban poor."
In the development of the movement for change, she explained, the strength of the workers will play a strategic role. "You must all make sure you guard this organisation, and also protect your leaders, right down to the base. Don't let what happened to the PPBI happen again."
Dita spent time in three prisons. The first, Mandang Prison in Surabaya, burned down when prisoners rioted against too many unofficial taxes. She was moved to a small prison in Malan. "That was the worst time" she said. "I was isolated for eight months. I was not allowed newspapers, radio or to watch TV. The situation improved only when I was moved to Tangerang women's prison in Jakarta.
"But prison is still prison. The thing is to get rid of the prison they have made of society itself, the prison outside." * Max Lane is coordinator of ASIET, which organised a three week tour of Australia for Dita, several weeks after her release.
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* Indonesia