LIPS and KOPI present
Workers united, will never be defeated!
Today, thousands of workers will stage a rally.
Now, tens of thousand of workers are crippling the industrial zone.
They are gathering at this place, the crossroads of LIPPO Cikarang Metro.
In Cikarang, West Java, workers crippled the industrial area
demanding the repeal of the outsourcing laws.
Raise your left fist!
Viva workers!
Bekasi is the key. If Bekasi is on the move
then the other regions will also move.
Viva workers!
In the 1980s, Indonesia was toiling to build its industry
in order to compete with other Asian countries.
Those had gained wealth from the manufacturing industries.
The problem is that it required vast areas.
Because Jakarta's suburbs had already been crowded by existing plants
the new zones were set up in the east of Jakarta.
Since then, Bekasi, located 40 kilometers to the east of Jakarta,
has slowly grown as an industrial town.
Bekasi on the move
This tollway has been operating since 1988,
connecting the industrial city of Bekasi and other zones
like in Cikampek, Karawang, the seaport and the international airport.
Previously Bekasi was a huge residential region
with huge areas of paddies.
These canals were built to irrigate the paddies.
30 years later, it is the industry which benefits from the canal system.
Industrial lots, roads, bridges, and water and electricity supplies
are promoted by the government to attract investments.
And what has Bekasi produced so far?
Electronic goods, cars, motorbikes, cosmetics...
...processed foods, dolls... everything is made in Bekasi.
And don't forget: These goods are made with the sweat of thousands of workers.
Within these 30 years Bekasi has transformed rapidly.
Paddies have disappeared, replaced by rows of plants.
Neighborhoods which used to produce red bricks
were turned into industrial zones.
Zones with guaranteed supplies of liquid gas, electricity, and security forces.
Iinvestment flowed in from Japan, Korea, Germany, and China.
Now in Bekasi there are 7 big industrial zones.
No less than 1 million workers work here.
Bekasi is now the most dense industrial city in Indonesia
and South-East Asia producing 40% of non-oil-&-gas export [of Indonesia].
Plants are located in these zones.
But where do the workers live?
They live in slums around the factories,
hidden just behind the plant buildings.
This is known as the 1,000 door alley.
It got that name because along the alley
we find rows of lodgings.
These rooms are rented for 350,000 to 400,000 rupiah per month.
That is as much as a quarter of the workers' wage,
provided they are paid the minimum wage.
I started to work with the minimum wage of 1,375,000 rupiah,
and I was not satisfied with it.
After the pressure, the minimum wage was raised to 1.7 million rupiah.
- 1.5 million, eh?
1,7 million.
- Okay, 1,5 to 1,7 (million)
During the struggle we wanted it to rise and I started to think:
"Wow, if the minimum wage rises, my wage rises, too!"
But in reality, all of the prices were raised as well.
The food prices rose, the room rent was raised, public transport, too.
We've got nothing.
Um... after the payday we spend it all for the debts,
and we took out a loan again.
- Is is like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Yes, one month salary is for paying debts.
And the following month we live on debts again.
- Just like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
It's a 2-5-circle: we got paid on the 2nd and spend it on the 5th.
That wage is not sufficient even for a single person.
It takes 300,000 a month for gasoline on average!
For meals, it's about 800,000 minimum, for simple meals.
That's for a single person.
Imagine if it's for a family... for other members of the family,
for children's school... it's not sufficient.
For me it's not sufficient.
And I'm the breadwinner...
Well... I've got to be frugal. frugal in spendings,
very economical with food: instead of 3 times a day
we have to make it once or twice...
We eat tempeh or tofu while egg is even a luxury.
We have mostly noodles...
- Yes, mostly noodles.
We get sick easily.
And then there is the health care issue... and the social insurance scheme...
No social security, no menstruation and pregnacy leaves,
no extra payment for overtime work!
If there is a work accident we do not get compensation
but a warning letter!
- Yes, we'd get warned.
They said the contract is for 3 months.
And after a year, if we do good, we get promoted...
but that did not happen.
"Sir, I've finished my contract. What's next?"
"Well, you keep on working. That's what matters."
No new contract. Nothing.
The employment status remains unclear.
We got no contract since the beginning.
We built a union with our leaders.
"You want to set up an organisation?"
"Then you get fired this very day!"
Why? Because those HR people don't want a union at the company.
And shortly after the leaders were fired.
We were dismissed without warnings. Nothing.
We got no warnings. Nothing.
If they already disliked us they just said: "Get out!"... and we were out.
There's no clear reason for my dismissal.
It's maybe because I am a unionist.
I have been fired.
For years the wheels of the Bekasi industry have been moved
by cheap labor and workers who have no sufficient social protection
and no certainty as they work as outsourced workers.
Unity! Unity!
Sekber Buruh! [Workers Alliance]
Unity!
Capitalism, destroy it! Prosperity for the workers!
The big family of SPSI [All-Indonesia Workers' Union] of Bekasi
has come together here!
When they start to build a union and demand their rights
they can be fired any time.
What about the state's mandate?
Please, carry it out!
The Governor promised months ago to settle all of labor's problems,
but up to now there is no sign that the government makes any improvement.
Since talking to the government is like talking to a wall,
the workers vent their anger.
Come on, fight for your life,
move forward, workers,
move forward, don't stop.
Keep on fighting, hand in hand.
Come on, fight. Viva workers.
Come on, move. Advance, workers!
Move forward, don't stop.
Keep on fighting, hand in hand.
Today and the days after,
we got to move to the destination
where justice upholds the truth,
ends oppression, seizes victory.
Come on, fight. Viva workers.
Come on, move. Advance, workers.
Keep your feet, stand your ground.
Keep on fighting until victory.
Come on, fight. Viva workers.
Come on, move. Advance, workers!
Stomp your feet together!
Keep on fighting...
We're done of being fooled, we're done of being oppressed.
This is our way, the workers' way.
We don't have money, we only have the power
of organized workers.
Viva workers! Viva workers!
Workers united will never be defeated.
Workers who have power will never be defeated.
Workers united will never be defeated!
Throughout 2011 and 2012, investors and industrialists could not sleep well...
...because of the frequent workers' protests.
FKI [workers' organization] is still here and still concerned with the people...
In Indonesia, there has to be universal healthcare for the people.
It must be implemented, comrades!
FKI always fights.
"Masses have gathered here... and many more are coming to voice their demands..."
"They demand that the government rejects the plan
to increase fuel prices."
"The Workers' action is taking place in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta."
Mass media are filled with the news of workers' actions.
"Several thousand workers just came from..."
"The tollgates were closed by the police..."
"Their action to enter the airport is forbidden by..."
Workers' actions take the form of rallies, demonstrations,
and strikes in factories...
...in the industrial zones or at government offices.
In addition, workers' unions from Bekasi are always ready to call out large masses
to various rallies in Jakarta.
The people will win!
Speak up! Let's unite!
The people will win!
Stand up, stand up!
Viva workers, viva!
When the government planned to reduce the fuel subsidies
Bekasi workers rallied and had a demonstration at the parliamant.
Viva Indonesian people!
Fuel price rises, workers fight. - National strike!
We once again demand from the legislative
don't betray your own conscience!
You are paid with our sweat,
with 400 trillion rupiah of tax from our sweat.
We, the workers of Indonesia...
To fight against outsourcing Bekasi workers do
what they call "factory raid."
Come in... come in...
Get out, get out, get out...
Come down, down, down...
We sent a letter to the government and to local business people
but there was no response and workers at the plants
have had negotiations with no satisfactory results.
At last we had to do the factory raid.
Thank Lord, the raid is effective.
Now, more than 30,000 outsourced workers are freed.
They were not free, but they are now.
They are permanent workers now.
One action that got the most attention
was the blockade of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll way.
The blockade was a response to the lawsuit filed by the employers association
to challenge the Bekasi minimum wages.
We gained victory from this action.
The association finally withdrew the lawsuit.
The minimum wages rose by 21%, and it is now 1,491,000 rupiah.
Viva workers!
Why blocking the toll way?
This is our resistance, but it is not what we want.
This is the result of not listening to us all this time.
The employers and the government do not want to listen to us.
After that, we had to insist and block the road.
We have done that several times.
We did it on January 11, 2012.
On January 19, we closed down the road,
and the peak was on January 27.
Why? The company lied to us about wages.
They should have responded, but they sued us in court and won.
That's why we closed the road.
Our strength is solidarity without limit.
Solidarity without limit.
Whatever your federation is, whatever your flag is,
if you are a worker and you are in Bekasi
let's struggle together for the dignity of workers in Bekasi.
When Bekasi marches, other areas, even Jakarta and all of Indonesia, will march.
The movement exists because Apindo is taking us for fools.
Apindo [Employers Association]: - Resist!
One command: Disband Apindo!
Apindo: - Disband!
Viva workers! - Viva workers!
Fuck Apindo, fuck it!
Bekasi is the key, and today Bekasi marches.
Other areas will also march.
Other focal points of the struggle include Medan, Papua, Sulawesi,
Kalimantan, and the capital Jakarta.
Let's get the spirit: Viva workers... Viva workers...
On May Day 2012 the workers' demands were clear.
- Comrades, today is May Day.
We mobilized 50,000 last year, today we mobilized 100,000.
What do we demand? Health insurance for all Indonesians!
We are against low wages...
...and against outsourcing.
We demand the introduction of a pension for all workers in Indonesia
before July 1, 2015.
If they are deaf, we shout louder.
- Comrades, a moment ago at 11 o'clock, they stated to not eliminate outsourcing.
Comrades, what do we do?
- Fight, fight!
Fight, comrades!
- Fight, fight!
Stop the production, stop the machines!
On October 3, 2012, all large national unions
showed their power in a national strike.
We will prove that all workers in Indonesia,
and all workers in Bekasi, have dignity, have power.
Viva workers! Viva workers!
...Anti Korea...
Boycott Samsung, boycott Samsung!
Viva workers!
Viva!
In December 2012, Bekasi workers took to the streets again,
when the Korean electronics giant Samsung restricted union organizing
and kicked workers out of the factory.
We remind them all that when they want to invest in Indonesia
they must abide by Indonesian laws.
No outsourcing practices, no contracts which are in violation of the laws,
no low wages, and do not raise the society against the workers.
There are several possibilities that we know of.
If it is true what the literature is saying
that workers are disorganised or without purposes
then we'll need 10 to 12 years
for workers to organise themselves.
Another explanation is that there is a current issue
which can unite various worker groups
who are supposingly disorganised.
Those are the outsourced or contract workers.
This affects all parties, and everyone is worried,
that their time will come soon.
This issue helps to overcome the problems the organization faces.
Yet another explanation is that many policies are made because of public demand.
In other words, it's more important to be populist.
We never appear in newspapers or on TV.
We are not listened to.
This becomes the motor or the trigger for the rise of street politics.
Bekasi workers will surely use May Day or the international workers' day
to restate their demands.
May Day has been discussed or was prepared for a month.
- Due to the importance of the international workers' day momentum
already way before the day itself many preparations were made.
Regarding workers' funding they collected and set aside funds from their wages.
That way they could prepare for their needs, for buses, etc.
They could also raise funds, for instance, for T-shirts,
and for things like banners, jackets, and other things.
Yesterday, on April 29, we carried out a pre-May Day.
It was attended by 2,000 to 3,000 workers.
We informed the regional police and the Jakarta Police
that we will go to Jakarta from Bekasi...
- May Day will be commemorated in Bekasi.
1. we demand that May Day becomes a public holiday in Bekasi city and the district.
2. we also demand that the government, the district head, the regional government
and the labor bureau fully enforce all labor laws and the supporting regulations.
3. We demand that social insurance is provided to the people before 2014.
4. And finally we demand that the mafia-style harassment of workers
that has been rampant in Bekasi, recently,
must be stopped.
- Let people know that there are still violations in this matter.
Then why keep coming to the [presidents] palace?
It's because the palace is the symbol of the state,
the symbol of the government, that's why we head to the palace,
to voice our opinion there at the palace,
at the symbol of the current government.
The big number of people indicates
that Indonesian workers are smart.
If we stand together we are strong.
Our demands are social insurance, pension, the elimination of outsourcing,
no to low wages, no to the draft of the social insurance act,
no to the draft of the law on mass organisations
and, most importantly, no to the increases of fuel prices and electricity prices.
- The momentum of the International Workers' Day has become important,
besides the basic rights demands and economic problems in each sector.
Workers face the issues of low wages, outsourcing and the contract system,
expensive education, and then, today, on May Day 2013, workers received a "present"
in the form of a fuel price hike.
That's why workers need to understand the political struggle
besides the economic one.
Long live...
Viva workers! Viva workers!
Workers united will never defeated.
The central leadership of FKI, the branch leadership,
and 20 delegates from us will be received by the local consultative forum.
Workers united will never defeated! Workers united will never defeated!
I will submit your demands.
In 2014, we'll set up a building for the tripartite forum
as the place to handle disputes in industrial relations.
The other issues have been heard,
and, so God will, they will be followed up.
- When? - When?
- Comrades, today we were recieved by deputy district head Haji Romin.
The first demand is to have meetings this month
with 3 companies: PT KTH, PT Hanyoung, and Bermindo.
If there is no comprehensive solution within a month we will be back on the street.
The second demand is about the labor court: The official from the Labor Ministry has stated
that by 2014 a tripartite building will be built for the industrial relations court.
Regarding the national holiday, by 2014, May Day will be a national holiday.
Regarding road repairs, bus shelters, etc., the repairs we demanded
will start this month, so, basically, all our demands have been agreed to.
However, if there are no comprehensive changes, we will take to the streets again.
- Ready, comrades?!
Ready!
- Ready, comrades?!
Ready!
- We will push our demands
if there are any violations of the labor law, right?
Never back down from this struggle...
- Since 9:20 this morning the demonstration has moved to Jl. Ahmad Yani in Bekasi.
They will head to Jakarta or head to the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia,
to the parliament building and to the Presidential Palace.
Workers united...
will never be defeated...
Workers united...
will never be defeated...
...Viva workers!...
Forget the elites of the political parties...
When the general comes to power workers will not be as free
as today, comrades!
Will you choose a military general?
No!
Do you want to be led by the general?
No!
Bow down in servitude or stand up and fight,
because silence is betrayal!
Workers united will never be defeated!
Workers will win!
Viva workers!
Viva!
Resist, resist, resist!
Solidarity forever, solidarity forever,
for the union makes us strong!
Solidarity forever, solidarity forever,
for the union makes us strong, for the union makes us strong...
40 million workers work in the formal sector
but only 3 million are organized.
Victory for workers can only be achieved
if many more workers realize and get educated to unionize.
Workers united!...
...will never be defeated!