Korean employer in Indonesia
The image of Korean employer in Indonesia was bad. They were known and recognized as rude and rough people because they used to harrast and abuse workers by speaking roughly and loudly, or even hit workers.
Source : Joko and Iman
The image of Korean employer in Indonesia was bad. They were known and recognized as rude and rough people because they used to harrast and abuse workers by speaking roughly and loudly, or even hit workers. By now, particularly after the change of social and political life in Indonesia, workers got more freedom. The change encourages workers to criticize Korean employers’ behaviour. They feel free to correct Koreans’ behavour directly.
Currently, many Korean managers at some Korean factories are dismised and returned to their country. The number of Korean workers decreased very much. But, it’s not clear yet whether they were dismised on account of their bad bahaviour or something else? As we know that Indonesian economy is still in turmoil. The economic crisis that has begun in 1997 hit textile, garment and leather (TSK) sector (mostly employers of this sector are Korean). Many factories are collapse, and some of them have totally bankrupted. Untill today, the condition still treat workers’ job security, for rank and file workers or even for high level workers.
In term of appreciation of workers’ rights; economic and political rights.
In general, there still happen many violations on workers’ rights in Indonesia. The violations are done by all employers, including Korean employers. However, what have been done by Korean is very obvious rather than other employers. The basis of Indonesian labour movement is in TSK sector because their condition is worst;
- They get cheap wage
- Working long hours
- Difficult to get leaves
- Contract workers
- Job insecurity
- Bad workplace
- No health protection
This bad condition encourages them to struggle, besides they are very big in number.
Because many employers in this sector are Korean, therefore the workers should fight against Korean. The workers’ key to fight is union. But Koreans look try to control union workers. They have accepted union, even before 1998. Doson workers and probably also other workers of NIKE, Adidas, and Reebok factories have obtained the freedom of union, which is the key for the workers to get their rights and interest. However, the freedom is limited to just form a union, obtaining company facilities for the union, and get dispensation to leave work to perform union’s work, inside or outside the factory.
The employers are still trying to control the unions. They try to lure the union executives with promotion if they agree to resign from the union board. The companies
also tried to make the union to take the partnership relation by only approve union if
they obey the HIP doctrine, which mention :
- That a union is a partner of the company in ensuring the life of the company. Therefore, the union is prohibited from doing strike, which is considered threat for the company business process.
- The role of the union is limited to economic function only (to improve the welfare of its members and their families).
Some Korean factories in Indonesia are sub-contract of NIKE, Reebok, Adidas, Gap, Lea
and other TNC's. Actually TNC’s have done many monitoring to workers conditions,
moreover, they set up a comission in Indonesia which monitor and inspect workers' condition anytime. But there is no impact on workers’s betterment. On the contrary, it become worst today.
Joko and Iman
2002 / -0 / 5-
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