Unions Rally in Jakarta, Call on Nestl� to Respect Rights and Negotiate Now!

Posted to the IUF website 15-Jul-2009

Share this article.



Following on the solidarity visit to Indonesia by the IUF-affiliated Food Industry Employees Union (FIEU) of Malaysia, the Nestl� Indonesia Panjang Workers Union SBNIP at Nestl�'s Nescaf� factory in Panjang continues to mobilize support for its struggle. A union delegation from Panjang travelled the 200 kilometers to Jakarta on the early morning of July 13 for rallies at the Nestl� head office



and at the Department of Labour and Manpower (Labour Ministry).



At the Ministry of Labour in Jakarta, the SBNIP delegation submitted a letter and demanded support for wage negotiations. During their meeting with Ministry officials, they were told that �workers have the right to negotiate wages�.

Over 100 Jakarta union members from at least 7 organizations, including the IUF-affiliated HRCT federation FSPM joined them for the action.

SBNIP President Eko Sumaryono told he press "For two years, we have requested and then campaigned for the right to negotiate wages and outsourcing and to include them in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Management refuses to accept that this is our right, and insists that management alone sets wages.

"At Nestle Panjang, packaging and technical workforce are outsourced. According to Indonesian law (UU13/2003), workers related to production are not to be outsourced. We will continue our struggle and we will bring this campaign to the attention of the world until Nestle Indonesia negotiates in good faith with SBNIP "

Nestl� Indonesia - with the support of corporate management in Vevey - persists in asserting that wages are a "commercial secret" and not part of the collective bargaining process, despite an IUF submission to the OECD in the company's home country of Switzerland. The OECD Guidelines on Multinational Enterprises require overseas subsidiaries of transnational companies to adhere to international labour and human rights standards - of which the right of workers to collectively bargain their wages of course forms part.

STOP Nespressure and negotiate now! - CLICK HERE TO SEND A MESSAGE TO NESTLE!

Tell corporate management to stop pressuring the union and its members and start negotiating!.

The situation at Nestl� Panjang is not unique. For growing numbers of Nestl� workers around the world, it's "Good Food - Good Life - Goodbye to Union Rights in the Workplace"

To learn more about Nestl�, Nespressure and the fight back, visit www.nespressure.org.