[APWSLMembers 147] KASBI Indonesia: Massive Lay Off at RF Hitec Indonesia, Inc

[sinapan samydorai]

Dear All,

Greetings of Solidarity! Hope all APWSL members will support in
Solidarity the struggle of the Indonesian workers at RF hitec.
Please write protest letters to the RF Hitec management
[address given below by KASBI]

RF Hitec,  USA  Multinational Company, with factories in
Indonesia and Korea - RF Hitec, Inc at Bowonku, Seoul. 
Hope the Korean workers will join in solidarity with the 
struggling Indonesian Workers.

In Solidarity,

Sinapan Samydorai
APWSL - Singapore


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From:  KASBI Indonesia <kp_kasbi at yahoo.com>  
Date:  Sun 15/01/2006 1:14 AM GMT+08:00 
To:  KASBI Indonesia <kp_kasbi at yahoo.com> 
Subject:  Massive Lay Off at RF Hitec Indonesia, Inc 
 

Dear Friends,
How are you?  Hope you are fine!
We need your solidarity in case of Massive Lay Off at RF Hitec Indonesia,
Inc.  
For more details, kindly read the details below. 
Thank you.
 
Best wishes,
Raymond "Mundo"
International Officer of KASBI
+62 8151 66 8051
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Workers of PT.RF Hitec Indonesia Struggle Against Factory Relocation and
Massive Lay Off

Hundreds of women workers affiliated to SBHI are struggling to defend their
right to be 
employed. The management of RF Hitec Indonesia company, the Korean owned
company located 
at Karanggan, Citeureup Bogor have closed the operation on December 30th,
2005 without 
consultation with the union. It has been days that the workers have been
striking. They 
have been spending nights in front of the gate of the factory. The official
reason revealed 
by the management for closing down the operation is the operational
relocation to the new 
area at Cianjur which has been operated since April 2005. This relocation
which has been 
devastating the workers was made without any consultation or involvement of
the union. 
It is clear that the management has violated the labour law in Indonesia


The relocation issue has been slightly announced by the management since
April 2005. 
The 200 woman workers which are the majority has become fidgety without any
guarantee 
of being employed anymore. It was proven in August 2005, the management
issued the 
announcement that relocation would be held in November 2005. The management
offered 
the workers to move to Cianjur without counting the working period. They
are forced 
to quit and receive the low separation pay which is not equitable to the
Indonesian 
Labor Law.


Since the factory has been operated in 1989 in Tangerang, it has been
relocated from 
Tangerang to Bogor in 1996. It has also broken off its workers. During 1996
– 2000, 
it was recorded that 1200 workers were employed. Since than, the number of
workers 
was decreased from year to year until the number of 180 workers now.


It is clearly seen that the relocation is proposed to the profit interest
only because 
the minimum wage in Cianjur (Rp. 460.000) is lower than in Bogor (Rp.
793.000). The 
labor market flexibility (LMF) policy allows the investor to relocate the
operation 
and it is not the first time done. Beside relocation, contractual workers,
low wage 
and massive lay off are commonly happen to exploit the Indonesian workers


At the same year, the normative labor right has been violated by the
management. 
Workers which is mainly female one did not get any day off for their
menstrual period. 
The management also cut the wages, did not provide any health insurance and
did not 
fulfill the lunch and transport expense. The management also employed the
daily 
contractual workers which allow the management to lay off and to cut the
allowances 
that received by the permanent ones.


This massive lay off is ironic if we compare to the profit which is taken
by the 
company which produces electronic equipments. All the products of RF Hitec
company 
is exported to US New York based company, The Mini Circuit Laboratory. RF
Hitec is 
also one the branch of the US based electronic company in Santa Clara,
California 
named Nextec Microwave & RF Inc. The other one, RF Hitec, Inc is located at
Bowonku, 
Seoul, South Korea.

The workers’ Union of SBHI is now defending its right to:

refuse the relocation of RF Hitec company
being employed as the permanent workers
if the relocation occurs, it must be processed under the Indonesian Labor law 


Therefore, KASBI expects the world solidarity. All the support can be
directed to SBHI, 
Jl. Karanggan 31, Kelurahan Puspasari, Kecamatan Citeureup, Bogor 16810. 
Phone: 62 819 3256 4082. E-mail: sbhi_kasbi at yahoo.co.id, kp_kasbi at yahoo.com. 

The letter of protest can be directed to :

Mr. Noh Pil Yong
Director President of PT.RF Hitec Indonesia 
Jl. Karanggan 31, Kelurahan Puspasari, Kecamatan Citeureup 
Bogor 16810, Indonesia 
Telp 62 21 876 3870-71-72
Fax 62 21 8759104
E-mail : rfhitec at centrin.net.id


Mini Circuit Laboratory
13 Neptune Avenue, Brooklyn, New York 11235, USA.
E-mail: mathew_v at minicircuits.com, kofi at minicircuits.com


Nextec Microwave & RF, Inc.
2255-E, Martin Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95050, USA.
Telp 1 408 727 1189
Fax 1 408 727 5915
E-mail: info at nextec-rf.com, sales at nextec-rf.com


Mr. Erman Suparno
Minister of Manpower and Transmigration
Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto Kav.51, Jakarta 12048, Indonesia.
Telp 62 21 522 9285-6 
Fax 62 21 525 6559


Korean Embassy
Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto Kav.57, Jakarta, Indonesia 
Telp 62 21 5201915
Fax 62 21 525 3967


Thank your for your support and solidarity.


Jakarta, January 12, 2006


Best regards,

Anwar “Sastro” Ma’ruf
Chairperson of KASBI

Beno Widodo
General Secretary of KASBI
Profile of KASBI


Labor struggle gradually has shown its form. The protest actions have taken 
place in many industrial zones in Indonesia. The oppression on labors has 
been revealed. Labors have started to organize themselves in either many 
groups or unions in both local and national scale. 
We unite ourselves in KASBI (Committee of Independent Unions Action) to
achieve 
the victory of Indonesia Labor Struggle. KASBI was founded on January 1, 2003 
in Tangerang Banten. At a national meeting on June 18-20, 2004 KASBI has
issued 
a basic convention and programs with a new structure. The meeting also
brought us 
to a consequence of a new name that is Steering Committee of Congress of
Indonesia 
Unions Alliance ( KP KASBI ). A year later, February 4-6, 2005 The First
Congress 
of KASBI was held in Bogor, Jawa Barat. The forum was attended by a hundred
of workers 
from 18 unions. They came from 14 municipals which are spread in 8
provinces in Indonesia. 
>From that time organisation name was officialy changed into KASBI-Kongres 
Aliansi Serikat Buruh Indonesia (Congress of Indonesia Unions Alliance). 
With KASBI labors have a huge capability in struggling for their rights and
interests 
like demonstration and strike against all the form of government policies
oppressing labors 
and people in general. KASBI always hold solidarity action for people all
over Indonesia victims 
of imperialism cruelty. It also struggles for better improvements of labor
welfare and labor’s 
family. KASBI also strives for the labor law protecting the interest of
labors. 

The labor struggle is part of struggle of million people, peasants,
progressive intellectuals 
and other oppressed people like urban poor and woman. Struggle against
imperialism oppression, 
fascism and feudalism must be continuously encouraged. Obviously, labors
themselves are incapable 
of facing the imperialism. That situation emerges a historical obligation
of labor struggle to 
get involve in the establishment of anti imperialism, fascism and feudalism
front. 

Labors must be united. Labors should not make a distinction that may bring
up discrimination 
attitude among private labors, civil servant and other workers. All people
working and being 
paid in a certain working relationship without concerning their ethnics;
nation, religion, 
race, sex, age and political belief must establish an independent and
non-partisan union. 

KASBI encourages all organized labors and unorganized ones to improve
common works and actions. 
The united labor mass with other oppressed people must continue struggling
to achieve independent 
Indonesia and just and welfare society. 


Member of KASBI
FSBKU (Federasi Serikat Buruh Karya Utama) Federation of Karya Utama Union,
Tangerang 
SBN (Serikat Buruh Nusantara) Nusantara Union, Tangerang 
GSBM (Gabungan Serikat Buruh Mandiri) Federation of Independent Labor
Union, Jakarta 
FSBIP (Federasi Serikat Buruh Indonesia Perjuangan) Federation of
Indonesia’s Struggle Trade Union, Jakarta 
SBJP (Serikat Buruh Jabotabek-Perjuangan) Jabotabek Union – Struggle, Bogor 
SBHI (Serikat Buruh PT.Hitec Indonesia) Trade Union of Hitec Indonesia,
Inc, Bogor.
SBMNI (Serikat Buruh Maritim dan Nelayan Indonesia) Indonesia Union of
Maritime and Fisherman, Jakarta 
FPPB (Federasi Persatuan Perjuangan Buruh) Federation of Labor Struggle
Union, Bandung 
SBM (Serikat Buruh Mandiri) Independent Union, Bandung 
SPBDI (Serikat Perjuangan Buruh PT.Dada Indonesia) PT.Dada Indonesia Labor
Struggle Union, Purwakarta 
FSBSK (Federasi Serikat Buruh Setia Kawan) Federation of Solidarity Union,
Solo 
KP-SBY (Komite Persiapan-Serikat Buruh Yogyakarta) Preparation Committee of
Yogyakarta Union
SERBUK (Serikat Buruh Kebun) Plantation Union, Deli Serdang 
Perbuni (Serikat Perkebunan Indonesia) Indonesia Plantation Union, Medan.

Preparation Member
SBK (Serikat Buruh Kerakyatan) People Union, Surabaya 
SPBI (Serikat Perjuangan Buruh Indonesia) Indonesia Labor Struggle Union,
Malang
Serikat Buruh Payung Demokrasi (SBPD) Union of Democracy Umbrella, Sidoarjo

Central Committee of KASBI, 2005-2008

Chairperson : Anwar Ma’ruf (Sastro), FSBKU Tangerang

General Secretary : Beno Widodo, FPPB Bandung 

Department of Education and Propaganda
Coordinator : Sumarto (Parto), FSBIP Jakarta
International Officer : Raymond J. Kusnadi (Mundo), FSBIP Jakarta
Department of Organisation
Coordinator : Musriyanto, GSBM Jakarta
Staff : - Kusno, SERBUK Medan
- Sunarno, SBN Tangerang
- Aah, SBPDI Purwakarta

Department of Law and Advocation
Coordinator : Agus, FSBKU Tangerang
Staff : Dewi, SBPDI purwakarta

Department of Finance
Coordinator : Linarti, FSBSK Solo

Contact us:
Jl. Satria 89 RT 14/03 Jakarta 13220, Indonesia
62 21 9198293, +62 21 70434272. kp_kasbi at yahoo.com