16 May, 2013Indonesian cement worker, Edi Iriawadi, was imprisoned after taking action to protect workers at Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa plant, which is part of the Heidelberg Cement Group, from intruders that entered the factory in September 2012. IndustriALL demands that Indonesian authorities and the company stop these violations.
Edi Iriawadi is a union leader at the local company union, Serikat Pekerja Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa (SP ITP), which is part of IndustriALL Global Union affiliate, the Federation of Indonesia Cement Trade unions (FSP ISI).
Edi was put on a trial after the company, Indocement Tunggal Prakarsa which is part of the Heidelberg Cement Group, accused him of abusing his power by halting two kilns, on 7 September 2012, causing production loss for the company.
On 7 September 2012, around 150 people entered the plant in front of the security guards and accompanied by local members of the police. The intruders stormed into the union office inside the factory and three union members were injured and hospitalized. The motorbikes parked outside the union office were also smashed. When the intruders threatened to storm the entire plant, Edi Iriawadi urged the workers to shut down two of the kilns in order to prevent fatalities.
Local management has misused this incident in order to file a charge against Edi and discredit the local trade union. Edi Iriwadi is now in prison for saving the lives of workers put at risk due to the company’s irresponsible conduct.
After the incident in September 2012, when leaving the workplace, hundreds of union members received warning letters from management. Dadang Wardiman and Totok Budiharsani are the two key witnesses of the 7 September incident and were sanctioned by the company for no clear reason.
We demand that Heidelberg Cement and the Indonesian authorities, stop this dishonourable conduct. If they enter into a conflict with the trade union within the plant, they must solve it by entering into meaningful dialogue and without risking the lives of workers and local people. Set Edi Iriwadi free,
said Matthias Hartwich, IndustriALL Director for Mechanical Engineering and Materials Industries.