29 July, 2009FSPMI union representatives meet with Toshiba Indonesia management seeking to resolve a dispute affecting 700 workers following solidarity support from the International Metalworkers' Federation and its affiliates.
INDONESIA: FSPMI union representatives and Toshiba Indonesia management met to discuss the dispute at the Toshiba Consumer Products Indonesia plant for the first time on July 25 following intensive international solidarity support from the International Metalworkers' Federation and its affiliates, particularly the IMF-JC.
More than 700 members of IMF-affiliate Federasi Serikat Pekerja Metal Indonesia (FSPMI) went on strike at PT Toshiba Consumer Products Indonesia on April 16 after the company refused to recognize the collective labour agreement signed both by the union and management. Toshiba Indonesia also fired 15 elected trade union leaders at the plant despite stern recommendations from the Indonesian government to withdraw threats of employment termination.
A delegation of trade union leaders from Toshiba Japan and the IMF-JC travelled to Indonesia on July 23 to meet with Toshiba Indonesia management and support FSPMI in reaching a solution to the dispute. Following this intervention, a first meeting between the company and FSPMI was held where both parties stated their commitment to seeking a solution to the dispute as quickly as possible. It is expected that union and company representatives will continue to meet at the negotiating table in the coming days.
Throughout this process the IMF and its affiliates are strongly supporting FSPMI and its 700 members on strike in Indonesia and are preparing to take further action against the company if the dispute is not resolved. You can donate funds to the striking workers, who have been without wages or health insurance for more than three months, through the secure PayPal system on the IMF website here.