Dear comrades,
Two weeks ago I’ve sent you ILWU a solidarity message on behalf of SBMNI, the Maritime Union of Indonesia. At that moment I promised you a report about this young union. You can find enclosed this report, plus some pictures of their actions.
In my opinion, SBMNI is a union which should be watched closely. In only a year they have managed to become a strong force in the port Tanjung Priok Jakarta, the biggest port in Indonesia. Before them, there was only the yellow union FSPSI, so they are the first independent union with a mass base in the port. Because of its strategic position, I think SBMNI will play in the future an important role in the Indonesian labor movement. Since Indonesia has an export economy, especially linked with the Asia-Pacific, this opens up the possibility for joint actions with unions in the U. S.
In spite of their rapid development, SBMNI has also the typical problems of young unions in Third World countries. For instance, the workers are brutally repressed not only by the military and the police, but also by civilians hired by the employers like militias of parties and gangs of thugs. Further, SBMNI lacks a good infrastructure to coordinate the struggle. For example, they can not pay the next rent for their office in Tanjung Priok, starting July 2001. The workers already gathered 15 million rupiah, which is an incredible effort given their very low wages, but the rent for the next years (it is a 6-year contract, I think) is 30 million rupiah (less than 3. 000 $U. S. ). If they have to give up this office, it will be a big loss for SBMNI because its only a few minutes walking from the port. Another problem is a lack of knowledge how to give good training for the members. The workers are easy to mobilize but further education on how to build the union, on different techniques to confront the bosses, on international solidarity, and so on, is needed.
It is my hope that your union can help SBMNI in building a strong Indonesian maritime union. I am sure that this is a good ‘investment’, not to get a profit out of Indonesian but to improve the conditions of Indonesian maritime workers. And in the end you will get a profit out of it, namely international solidarity and joint actions.
The email of SBMNI is SBMNI@pacific.net.id If you send them an email, please send it also to me since they are not always able to use the internet.
Their address:
Jl. Tongkol no. 4 A2,
Tg. Priok
Jakarta Utara
Fax. : (021) 43912073
yours in solidarity,
Wim Benda
Belgian volunteering worker in the Indonesian labor
