Labor union faces difficulties to expand activities in Sumbawa

The Federation of All Indonesia Labor Unions (SBSI) charges that local manpower office and major companies have plotted to limit its activities in Sumbawa, which hosts major mining company PT Newmont Nusa Tenggara, Bali Pos reported on Tuesday.

Taufiq Budiman, the coordinator of the labor union in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) province, said that the manpower office in Sumbawa, one of regencies in the province, had imposed some obstacles for the labor union to expand its activities in the area.

"The local manpower office has not even recognized SBSI existence in the regency although it knows that its presence is needed to protect the workers from unfair treatment," he was quoted by the daily as saying.

SBSI has successfully recruited at least 400 workers as its new members at Newmont Nusa Tenggara. In addition to obtaining new members, SBSI has also met the administrative requirement to receive a permit to operate in the regency. But the local manpower office still denied its existence on ground that it has received negative reports about the labor organization's activities in the area, Taufiq said.

He accused that the local manpower office's rejection was due to SBSI's activities to expose unfair workers' treatment in the regency recently. (*)