The Indonesian Labour Movement: Resurgent or Constrained?

Abstract

The state of the Indonesian labor movement since the fall of Suharto's New Order regime is studied. An overview of the regime's relationship with labor emphasizes state attempts to reduce conflict in the labor movement throughout the late 20th century. The subsequent establishment of independent labor unions during the 1990s & the explosion of labor resistance during the nation's economic crisis in 1997 are discussed. Although the government under President B. J. Habibie took several actions to soothe the labor movement's demands, calls for labor reform increased after Habibie took office. Despite the formation of several labor-oriented political parties, these parties failed to win parliamentary seats because members failed to vote as a bloc; also, labor parties are highly fragmented. Attention is directed to exploring how labor movement violence has affected the state's willingness to implement labor reform. It is concluded that labor activist groups were poorly prepared for Suharto's removal, & the current movement's fragmented nature has hindered its capacity to realize reform. J. W. Parker.