July 14, 2007
The International Trade Union Confederation criticized working conditions in Indonesia, in a report issued June 27. It noted that “trade union rights remain restricted both in law and in practice, and anti-union discrimination is widespread.”
Specifics include intimidation of labor organizers, legal delays, corrupt judges, police violence and curtailment of the right to strike, with public sector strikes being “gravely restricted.”
Women earn 75 percent less than men for similar work. They predominate in unpaid or low-paid jobs. Abuse of child labor is widespread, with children forced into domestic work, footwear production, quarrying and garbage collection. The report finds women and children to be particularly vulnerable to forced sex labor.
Exploitation of migrant workers is rampant. They are underpaid, overworked, lacking in legal resources, subjected to labor contractors’ fees and forced to live in so-called training camps.
The ITUC issued the report to coincide with a review by the World Trade Organization of Indonesian trade policies.
