A Path to Stable Industrial Relations in Indonesia: Industrial Conflict Resolutions under Weak Law Enforcement
Kosuke Mizuno (CSEAS Kyoto University)
This study analyzes three cases of labor conflicts in 2001 – 2002 at garment companies and metal company in West Java, Jakarta and Banten Province. It focused on rules of the relation and the strategies of the parties involved in order to see the relationship between law enforcement and industrial relations institutional building. These cases show common features of weak law enforcement, but quite varied development of labor conflicts. A case resulting in making stable industrial relations shows that under circumstances of weak law enforcement, the effective strategy for the workers was not only to obtain knowledge concerning the law but also to gain the support of the community, as well as solidarity among union members, and to pursue creative strategies. An important rule for stabilizing industrial relations is continual communication among the company, labor unions, and the members of the workers’ organizations.
On the other hand, when conflicts were resolved with unionists dismissals, solidarity among the members of labor organizations was weak, or power of the company including the violence was stronger than one mobilized by the union. In these cases the union could only minimize the number of workers dismissed by the prudent strategy facing stubborn and continuous hostile strategy of the companies.
