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Victory for Securicor Workers!I wanted to share some exciting news from Jakarta – the Securicor Indonesia workers have WON! It had been a tense few days, in which the union told us that police were demolishing their camp at the Securicor Indonesia office and arresting protesters. (See http://www.labourstart.org/ for a photo of the Securicor Indonesia office, covered in banners and posters, as it’s looked for the last month.) Then, after a long day of bargaining, the union reported that the company had agreed to pay severance (2 x PMTK, ie, double the minimum severance under Indonesian law) plus 11 months salary to more than 150 workers who were illegally fired in May 2005. Today, the company began handing over checks to the workers. More information will be available soon at www.focusongroup4securicor.com. This is a huge victory for the union. To me, it really speaks to what a strong group of workers can achieve with the support of a good union federation, great lawyers, other domestic allies, and international support. Thank you all for your help, from wise counsel to mobilizing your organizations, on this campaign. Here at SEIU we’re working to keep the momentum going and make a difference in Uganda, India, and the other places where we’ve heard reports of Group 4 Securicor violating national law and human rights – including the United States. I’m looking forward to continuing to coordinate with you all on this international G4S campaign and the struggle for the rights of Indonesian workers. In solidarity, Jess Champagne Workers Occupy Securicor Indonesia HQ, Appeal for Global SupportMore than 150 security officers are occupying the offices of Securicor Indonesia. These same officers were illegally sacked over a year ago following their decision to engage in a strike. Recently they won an Indonesian Supreme Court decision that validated their strike and ordered the company to put the workers back on the job. To expedite the process, security officers showed up for assignment at the company's Jakarta headquarters and haven't left yet.
The Indonesian courts have repeatedly supported their claims, most recently the Supreme Court. The Court said that they have the right to return to their jobs and receive back pay. But Securicor Indonesia has failed to comply. These workers have faced numerous hardships -- some have lost homes, been unable to pay their children's school fees and skipped medical care because they couldn't afford it. The Securicor workers are really bringing on the pressure and putting themselves on the line, so international backup is more important now than ever. Please spread the news about this email alert. Check out www.focusongroup4securicor.com for updates, photos, and even films. Indonesian workers employed by global security giant Securicor have been through a lot. Over a year ago, they took the decision to strike -- and were promptly (and illegally) sacked by the company. Since then, they have tried every means, including online campaigns, to win back their jobs. Most recently, the Supreme Court of their country has ruled in their favor. So the struggle is now over, right? Surely a transnational corporation is not going to ignore a Supreme Court ruling. But Securicor is refusing to give the workers their jobs back -- and the workers have decided to occupy the company's offices in Jakarta. These workers have been through a tremendous struggle -- a strike, lengthy court battles, and now an audacious act of defiance by occupying Securicor's offices. They have appealed through their sister unions to trade unionists around the world to send off a simple message to the company demanding that it obey the law and give them their jobs back. Please take a moment and send off your message now: http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/show_campaign.cgi?c=125 This campaign will appear in Indonesian and French here: http://www.labourstart.org/actnow.shtml And spread the word -- let's mobilize thousands of trade unionists everywhere to send the strongest possible message to Securicor. Time is running out ... |
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