JAKARTA — Following a long battle, the militant Indonesian National Front for Workers Struggle (FNPBI) has finally won legal status as one of the country's 38 recognised unions.
The decision, by the ministry of labour, was based on a new law governing trade unions. The ministry had previously refused registration to the FNPBI-Jabotabek (formerly KOBAR, a member-organisation of FNPBI in Jakarta), thereby preventing the organisation's national registration.
Despite being "illegal", in the 15 months since its founding the FNPBI has doubled in size to now comprise 14 province-based branches.
Its illegality had meant that the FNPBI had, at times, been prevented from playing a role in industrial disputes. Companies and government officials would use its formal status to weaken workers' bargaining position. Being "illegal" also restricted the FNPBI's ability to collect membership dues.
Now the FNPBI has won its legal status it will be easier to finance the organisation, despite a push by the companies to stop its request to set up an dues deduction system.
Even though the Indonesian government has ratified the International Labour Organisation's convention on freedom of association and protection of the right to organise, provincial FNPBI branches have always been knocked back whenever they attempted to register.
FNPBI-Jabotabek faced all sorts of obstacles to registration, including the government's claim that its political outlook violated the official state ideology, Pancasila.
FNPBI-West Java (previously known as SBI) struggled for seven months for registration before, finally, a mass action at a local government office forced the issue and the union gained its legal status.
BY ROMAWATY SINAGA
[Romawaty Sinaga is one of the FNPBI's two international officers.]