Cardijn Community condemns violence against struggling workers in Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
Cardijn Community International (CCI), an international development network, is deeply distressed at the way the workers’ struggles are handled in Sri Lanka and Indonesia.
In Indonesia, the PT Micro Garment Plant workers in Bandung are on strike from May 6 demanding reduction of working hours to 10 hrs a day and protesting against the dismissal of 460 workers during the dispute.
It has been brought to our notice that the police force which behaves as if they are the custodians of the property of the management used ‘force’ and brutally attacked the striking workers to disperse them from the factory gate. A pregnant woman was kicked by the police and had a ‘miscarriage’ and lost her baby. The police have cordoned off the area from May 31 parking their vehicles to prevent the workers from assembling at the factory site.
However, the workers are ceaselessly continuing the struggle in the hope of succeeding in their demands. International solidarity is gaining momentum and pressure is being mounted on the government of Indonesia to intervene in the dispute and render justice.
CCI is equally disturbed at the violence unleashed by the police on Monday, 30 May on the Free Trade Zone workers from Garment Factories who were protesting against a Private Sector Pension Bill which does not guarantee pension to the workers. Fr. Reid Fernando, Animator of the Young Christian Workers of Colombo Archdiocese has issued a statement condemning the ‘violence
generated by the police’. Log on to www.cardijn.info for more details.
We call upon the trade unions, civil society organizations and the international community to extend their support to the struggling workers in these two countries.
We also call upon the governments of Indonesia and Sri Lanka to intervene and render justice to the struggling workers and bring to rein in the erring and overzealous authorities.
For CCI International Coordination,
M. J. Ruben
International Convenor
June 1, 2011