Tag: labour rights

Last month, students, teachers and parents at a Brunswick primary school joined with activists from FairWear to demand an end to exploitation in the Australian garment industry. Read more »

Last week 3869 individuals from around the world sent letters to adidas’ CEO, Herbert Hainer, demanding a fair deal for workers making adidas. While we wait for a response from adidas, I want to thank all those who have assisted with this campaign. Read more »

Jakarta was so quiet— almost everyone had gone back to their villages to spend time with their families. In the evening I could hear the echoes of prayers across the city. I felt very touched- but also mixed with a deep sense of sadness because I was unable to be with my family. Without work it is just too expensive to travel back home to South Sumatra. Read more »

When I was young I was often given only cassava rice to eat because we couldn’t afford ordinary rice and other condiments. I understood that rice was really expensive, so even if a tiny bit of rice was mixed in with my cassava dish, I was overjoyed! Read more »

As a worker on a low wage, sometimes I get scared when I imagine my future. I worry that when I am elderly my own situation won’t be that different from my neighbours. Even in their old age they have to work very hard just to scrape by. Read more »

It has become a custom for Indonesians to commemorate Independence Day by holding competitions. This year the factory also held competitions for the workers inside its grounds. The competitions included panjat pinang (pole climbing) and a singing competition. Read more »

In mid May I asked for leave from my union activities at GSBI and returned for a fortnight to my parent’s house in a village near the city of Solo, Central Java. At the village I kept busy helping my parents in the fields. My parents are farmers and do not have any regular income. Their own land doesn’t yield enough to cover every day necessities. So to fulfil their daily needs they work as labourers on other people’s land. With their meagre income, my parents still support two of their children (my older sister and young sister), as well as three grandchildren (from my older sister). Read more »

The other morning I spoke with some villagers who live in the district surrounding the Ching Luh factory. They told me about a local hustler who promotes factory recruitment. Potential applicants are asked for money ranging from 2-2.5 million rupiah (equivalent to two months of a factory workers’ full time wage). Read more »

My own recruitment experience serves as evidence of this fact. Earlier this year I was finally offered to sit a test carried out by the CLI human resources department. Read more »

English / Bahasa My parents are in their sixties now. They are subsistence farmers, but since they don’t own enough land to support themselves, they also work as farm labourers. I should be looking after them, sending them money for their everyday needs. It’s not like they are office workers who retire to a pension. […] Read more »