Nike and Adidas Shoe Factory Workers Threaten Strikes.
Shoe factory workers Adidas, Nike and Converse who work at PT. Glostar Indonesia Cikembar (PGD), PT. Glostar Indonesia Sukalarang (PGS) and PT. Pratama Abadi Industri residing in Sukabumi threatened to strike, if the entrepreneurs in the three companies still refused to negotiate the sectoral minimum wage of shoes.
The three companies are located in Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia. Where, PT. Glostar Indonesia Cikembar (PGD) produces Adidas and Converse shoes, PT. Glostar Indonesia Sukalarang (PGS) produces Adidas shoes, and PT. Pratama Abadi Industries produces Nike shoes.
Adidas, Nike and Converse brand shoes are international branded shoes commonly used by celebrities, athletes and international football players, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and so on.
Trade union leaders in three companies agree to strike if employers refuse to negotiate sectoral minimum wages.
The threat of strikes conveyed by the three union leaders in the three companies is because the sectoral minimum wage demands have been filed since three years ago, but entrepreneurs in the three companies have always refused to negotiate with unions.
Employers always scapegoat sectoral minimum wages to the government. While in the applicable legal provisions, the new government may decide the sectoral minimum wage in the event of negotiations and agreements between employers or employers' associations with trade unions.
The employer always hands over the responsibility of sectoral minimum wage negotiations to the government. While in the applicable law (Peraturan Pemerintah RI No. 78 Tahun 2015 and Permenakertrans RI No. 07 Tahun 2013), the government can only decide on sectoral minimum wage if there is negotiation and agreement between employer or employer association with union.
The attitude of entrepreneurs who always refuse to negotiate with unions in three companies that produce Nike shoes, Adidas and Converse is very disappointing trade union activists in three shoe companies, namely PT. Glostar Indonesia Cikembar (PGD), PT. Glostar Indonesia Sukalarang (PGS) and PT. Pratama Abadi Industri.
Employers are more likely to persuade union officials to cancel negotiations than to negotiate with unions.
Until now the invitation of negotiation proposed by the union has not been responded by the entrepreneur. Even from information received from union officials in PT. Glostar Indonesia Cikembar (PGD), the company's management has taken action that could be indicated as an act of deterring freedom of association.
Unions in PT. Glostar Indonesia Cikembar (PGD), previously always allowed to use corporate meeting room for union meetings, which is always done every week. However on Thursday, November 16, 2017, unions were not allowed to use the place.
Because it is not permitted to use corporate meeting rooms, ultimately union meetings are held in open fields within the company.
Responding to the attitude of the company that still refused to negotiate the sectoral minimum wage, Ferry Supriyadi as the chairman of the union at PT. Glostar Indonesia Cikembar (PGD) continues to consolidate members to prepare for strike action.
"Whatever the risks, if the company still refuses to negotiate the sectoral minimum wage, we will continue to prepare for the strike," Ferry said after a weekly meeting in the open field.
On a separate occasion, Moch Popon, as Chairman of the Trade Unions of Textiles, Clothing and Leather - Confederation of All Indonesian Workers Union / SP TSK SPSI, Sukabumi, West Java, Indonesia explains that sectoral minimum wage proposed by trade unions is very reasonable.
"The demand for sectoral minimum wage negotiations proposed by trade unions should get a positive response from employers.If employers continue to refuse to negotiate, it could lead to the use of the right to strike, which will ultimately harm the company itself, and could damage the reputation of Adidas and Nike as an international brand owner.As an international brand owner, Nike and Adidas should encourage their business partners to respect the rights and freedoms of association, develop social dialogue and commit to paying decent wages for workers ", he commented when met a few days ago.
Moch Popon also asserted that if Adidas and Nike had no good intentions to encourage their business partners to conduct sectoral minimum wage negotiations put forward by unions, trade unions and international NGOs would campaign that Nike and Adidas sell their products at high prices but pay their workers with cheap wages.
As an illustration, the price of Adidas PureBOOST X ATR shoes as quoted on the site: shop.adidas.co.id, dibanderol with the price of Rp 2.499.000 or US $ 185, and the price of Nike Kobe AD iD shoes as quoted from the site: store.nike. com, at a price of US $ 180.
While Nike and Adidas shoe factory workers in Sukabumi, their wages are only paid US $ 175 per month.
This condition is clearly unfair, and invites protests from workers of Adidas and Nike in Sukabumi who always make sectoral minimum wage demands, but always rejected by employers.
