BY ROBERT DARCY
SYDNEY — Dita Sari, chairperson of the Indonesian National Front for Labour Struggles (FNPBI), has written to the central New South Wales branch of the Maritime Union of Australia to thank the union for funding a number of FNPBI union organisers.
Sari reported that, in recent months, there have been a number of strikes for better wages and shorter working hours. One strike in East Java involved 100,000 workers.
The democratic space in Indonesia since the overthrow of the dictator Suharto has allowed new active union formations to grow. A lack of funds has been one of the main obstacles to building stronger unions.
In responding to the FNPBI's call to Australian unionists for assistance, the central NSW branch has continued the MUA's great tradition of international solidarity, and has set an example for other unions to follow.