Sentral Organisasi Buruh Seluruh Indonesia
Encyclopedia
Sentral Organisasi Buruh Seluruh Indonesia ('All Indonesia Centre of Labour Organizations', abbreviated SOBSI) was a trade union
federation in Indonesia
. SOBSI was the largest trade union federation during its existence. The organization was closely linked to the Communist Party of Indonesia
(PKI), but was suppressed along with the PKI after the 1965 coup that installed the New Order
regime.
on November 29, 1946, the first trade union federation to emerge after the Second World War. SOBSI held its first national congress in Malang
in May 16–18, 1947. A constitution of the organization was adopted, which called for workers to unite and struggle for the creation of a socialist society. SOBSI was organized along industrial lines, but craft unions enjoyed equality within the organization. Amongst the sectors represented in SOBSI at the time of its foundation were teachers, printers, pawnshop employees, longshoremen, teamsters, miners, seamen, gas and electricity, oil workers, estate workers and railroad workers.
Around 600-800 delegates participated in the Malang congress. Most of them came from Java
. One delegate represented the Indonesian Democratic Union from West Timor
. Foreign guests at the Malang congress included two Australia
ns, Ted Roach and Mike Healy, and two Dutch trade unionists, Blokzijl (of Eenheids Vakcentrale) and RKN Vijlbrief. J.G. Suurhof (of Nederlands Verbond van Vakvereenigingen
) and Evert Kupers, in his capacity as the vice-chairperson of World Federation of Trade Union
, were attending the congress as well. Rajkni Tomovic (Yugoslavia), Jean Lautissier (France) and Olga Tchetchekina (Russia) of the WFTU were also present.
The top leadership of the new organization consisted of the chairman Harjono, the vice chairman Setiadjit (chairman of the Labour Party of Indonesia
and second Deputy Prime Minister in the Sjarifuddin cabinet) and general secretary Njono.
The Malang congress received significant attention from the Dutch press, both in the Netherlands
and in Batavia. The Dutch press argued that the SOBSI congress indicated a strong communist influence in the Indonesian labour movement.
After the formation of SOBSI, the GSBI trade union centre dissolved itself and its member unions joined SOBSI. SOBSI became a member of the Sajap Kiri coalition of left-wing groups. After Sajap Kiri was superseded by the short-lived People's Democratic Front
, SOBSI joined the new front.
, a communist uprising in September 1948, SOBSI was the sole relevant trade union force in the country. When the uprising broke out in the town of Madiun
, several of the communist SOBSI leaders went underground. Many SOBSI leaders were killed or went into exile when the revolt was subsequently crushed. The SOBSI chairman Harjono and Sarbupri
(estate workers union, the largest SOBSI union) chairman Maruto Darusman were imprisoned after the uprising and were killed by the Indonesian army in December 1948, as Dutch troops approached the prison site. SOBSI operations were shut down by the army. Nineteen out of 34 affiliated unions withdrew from SOBSI in protest against the role played by communist leaders in the rebellion. SOBSI was however not formally outlawed, as the organization as such had not supported the uprising.
in December 1948. From May 1948 work began to reorganize SOBSI. SOBSI was re-established in September 1949. The new leadership was clearly dominated by the Communist Party. The acting chairman of SOBSI, Asrarudin, left the organization in protest against the communist dominance. In November 1949, SOBSI launched a campaign against the Round Table Conference agreement. The organization also called for a Lebaran
festival bonus to be instituted. These demands became widely popular, and the organization rapidly expanded its base. By mid-1950 SOBSI had twenty-five vertical unions as well as many local affiliated unions. It claimed a membership of 2.5 million (although that figure was questioned by outsiders). In November 1950 Njono, then 28 years old, returned from a prolonged study trip to China
and overtook the leadership of SOBSI as its chairman.
Notably, whilst no longer holding monopoly over the trade union sector, SOBSI was far better organized and financed than its rivals. Moreover, the SOBSI leadership had more experience than that of other unions. Non-SOBSI unions tended to have either a defensive approach towards SOBSI or merely mimmicking SOBSI discourse.
in February 1951. Following the issue of the ban, SOBSI turned to sporadic strikes and sabotage actions (such as destroying cargo at ports or crops at plantations). Through these actions the organization sought to foment social unrest in the country.
In September 1951 an emergency law substituted the ban on strikes in vital industries, which stipulated mandatory arbitration (which SOBSI initially opposed) In August 1951 around 3,000 SOBSI activists and leaders were imprisoned in a government crackdown on opposition, in the wake of speculations about a possible leftist coup d'état. However, relatively few SOBSI branches and unions mobilized protests against the arrests.
line of the party; that SOBSI should seek cooperation with non-communist trade unions and mobilize the broadest section of workers.
SOBSI held a national conference between September 27 and October 12, 1952, which ratified the shift to the national united front line. The meeting adopted a new constitution for SOBSI, void of any mention of 'socialism', 'people's democracy
', 'class struggle
' and 'democratic centralism
'. Under the new orientation SOBSI sought to build alliances with the peasantry and non-comprador
bourgeoisie
for popular democratic revolution and to mobilize resistance against imperialism
. From this point onwards, SOBSI was cautious of entering into direct conflicts with the government and national capitalists. In direct contradiction to its earlier line, SOBSI even pledged to help national capitalists and to increase productivity in industries. However, the Communist Party eventually intervened against the notion of productivity-increase at its 1956 congress. SOBSI began forming coordination committees with other unions in different sectors. In 1953 SOBSI, KBKI and four other trade union centres formed a joint May Day
committee. From that point onwards, May Day rallies were held jointly.
However, in spite of the more moderate line of SOBSI its affiliated union remained more active in defense of the interests of their members than the rival unions. In July 1952 the sugar workers union SBG held a major strike demanding Lebaran bonus. In September 1953 a Sarbupri strike forced the government to increase wages for estate workers with 30%.
SOBSI held its second national congress in January 1955. At this point, the organization had 128 branch offices and claimed a membership of 2,661,970. The congress ratified the new constitution adopted in 1952. During 1955 SOBSI was able to achieve the implementation of some of its long-running demands, such as introduction of Lebaran bonus, new wage scale for workers and employees in the public sector and distribution of cheap essential goods in some enterprises.
On March 18, 1957 SOBSI organized a 24-hour general strike
in south Sumatra
, protest against the local take-over of power by a regional army commander. On the following day, SOBSI issued a warning to Suwirjo that SOBSI would organize a nationwide general strike if he formed a government cabinet with Masjumi and excluding PKI.
, President Sukarno
increasingly came to rely on SOBSI as the representative of labour. SOBSI was awarded status as a 'functional group' with representation at different levels. When Sukarno appointed a 45-member National Council on July 12, 1957, with the task of assisting the cabinet, SOBSI was awarded one seat (represented by Munir).
In July 1957, the SOBSI headquarters were attacked with grenades.
In September 1957 a reorganization took place inside SOBSI. The vertical and local unions were reorganized into 31 national unions. The organization had eight regional offices and 150 branches by this point.
SOBSI led struggles, both in the streets and inside parliament, demanding nationalizations of Dutch enterprises. When the Indonesian government nationalized Dutch companies in December 1957, SOBSI declared its willingness to keep the companies running. In the wake of the nationalizations, inter-island shipping services were disrupted and thousands of seamen and harbour workers were left unemployed. SOBSI demanded that government pay wages to these groups, a demand conceded to by the government as it accepted to pay wages to the unemployed seamen and harbour workers until mid-1959.
SOBSI representatives were included in the National Council of the National Front (represented by Munir from August 1960), the People's Consultative Assembly and provincial and local councils, appointed by Sukarno in July 1959. Moreover, on August 15, 1959 SOBSI obtained one seat in the National Advisory Council and the National Planning Council. Some eight SOBSI representatives were included in the appointed parliament formed in June 1960.
SOBSI held its third national congress in September–October 1960. In November 1960 the organization had 165 branches and five preparatory branches. At the time the organization claimed a membership of 2,732,909. The SOBSI headquarters had around 50 full-time staff members.
The army and the Minister of Labour had plans of creating a sole trade union federation in the country, as a way of disarming SOBSI. SOBSI was however able to defeat the plan. In response to the attacks on SOBSI by army elements in state enterprises, PKI began denouncing them as 'bureaucratic capitalists'. SOBSI stepped up its militant opposition against the 'bureaucratic capitalists' in 1960, in response to the abolishing of various colonial-era benefits (such as the Lebaran bonus) in state enterprises.
alone, SOBSI claimed a membership exceeding 510,000. During this period 5,278 teachers had been trained to carry out base-level courses, 30,703 SOBSI activists had passed through training courses. During 1962, 19,964 workers completed literacy classes organized by SOBSI. 145 SOBSI sports teams and eleven revolutionary choirs were formed. SOBSI gathered around half of the unionized workers in the country at the time.
In December 1963 the United States
decided to expand the area of operations of its Seventh Fleet to the Indian Ocean
. PKI and SOBSI saw this move as a threat to Indonesia, and SOBSI demanded the nationalization of American companies in Indonesia as a retaliation.
Towards the mid-1960s, SOBSI began to diverge from the party line. The organization became increasingly dissatisfied with the policy of putting national interests ahead of class interests. The PKI leader Aidit condemned these tendencies as 'trade unionism'.
Njono left his post as SOBSI chairman in September 1964, as he was assigned to lead the Greater Jakarta organization of PKI.
SOBSI held its fourth national congress in 1965.
was taken over by the army. In West Kalimantan
, the SOBSI office was ranksacked by anti-communist protestors. At Solo and other cities in Central Java
railway workers went on strike to prevent the arrival of RPKAD shock troops. The strike was broken only after the army used machine guns against the workers. There were claims by SOBSI envoys abroad that other strikes were being organized in Sumatra
and North Sulawesi
.
On November 3, 1965 the activities of SOBSI were declared 'frozen' by the government.
Njono was sentenced to death in February 1966. After March 1966, repression against SOBSI was stepped up. Many union members were killed or imprisoned, many of them on the island Buru
. Prior to the crack-down, U.S.-trained trade unionists had gathered information about SOBSI members and sympathizers. Once the massacres and killings began, these lists were used to identify SOBSI followers. The organization was banned.
With the crushing of SOBSI, decades of tradition of Indonesian radical labour organizing died out. Under the New Order
regime, government discourse would continue to argue that independent labour organizing and communism was intimately linked.
of Amir Sjarifuddin
and the Labour Party of Indonesia
. By 1951, the party loosely controlled the national leadership of SOBSI. In response to the PKI influence over SOBSI, non-communist sectors withdrew from the organization and established different trade union organizations of their own. In March 1952 the Communist Party launched a massive recruitment campaign amongst the SOBSI ranks, and large numbers of SOBSI members became party members. But the SOBSI leadership was not exclusively communist, the SOBSI leader Ahem Erningpradja was a member of the leadership of the Indonesian Nationalist Party.
Njono, the chairman of SOBSI, became a candidate member of the PKI Politburo
at the 1956 party congress. Likewise, the nine-member central board of SOBSI elected consisted of eight parliamentarians elected on the Communist Party list (six declared Communist Party members whilst the other two were supposedly independents).
SOBSI played an active and important role in the electoral campaigns of the Communist Party, both ahead of the two national elections held 1955 and the local elections held 1957-1958. Local level SOBSI electoral action committees were formed throughout the country. SOBSI mobilized workers to participate in PKI election meetings.
. Two SOBSI delegates, Harjono and Oei Gee Hwat, participated in a WFTU meeting in Prague
in June 1947, at which SOBSI was accepted as a member of the international organization.
As part of the new national united front line adopted in 1952, SOBSI began organizing frequent joint delegations with other Indonesian unions to countries of the Socialist Bloc.
Njono served as vice chairman of WFTU.
(a women's movement connected to PKI). The SOBSI Women's Bureau and Gerwani led joint campaigns, demanding implementation of women's rights guaranteed by the 1951 Labour Law (such as rights to maternity and menstruation leave and breastfeeding breaks at the workplace).
monthly publication called Indonesian Trade Union News.
SOBSI publications were, however, largely unprofitable. As of 1957, Bendera Buruh sales only compensated around 40% of its production costs. As of May 1957, circulation of Bendera Buruh stood at a meagre 5,500. In 1958 there was a decision that Bendera Buruh ought to be distributed to every base-level union organization of SOBSI, but this was never implemented fully. Bendera Buruh was closed down in October 1960.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
federation in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. SOBSI was the largest trade union federation during its existence. The organization was closely linked to the Communist Party of Indonesia
Communist Party of Indonesia
The Communist Party of Indonesia was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world prior to being crushed in 1965 and banned the following year.-Forerunners:...
(PKI), but was suppressed along with the PKI after the 1965 coup that installed the New Order
New Order (Indonesia)
The New Order is the term coined by former Indonesian President Suharto to characterize his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno...
regime.
Founding
SOBSI was founded in JakartaJakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
on November 29, 1946, the first trade union federation to emerge after the Second World War. SOBSI held its first national congress in Malang
Malang
Malang is the second largest city in East Java province, Indonesia. It has an ancient history dating back to the Mataram Kingdom. The city population at the 2010 Census was 819,708. During the period of Dutch colonization, it was a popular destination for European residents. The city is famous for...
in May 16–18, 1947. A constitution of the organization was adopted, which called for workers to unite and struggle for the creation of a socialist society. SOBSI was organized along industrial lines, but craft unions enjoyed equality within the organization. Amongst the sectors represented in SOBSI at the time of its foundation were teachers, printers, pawnshop employees, longshoremen, teamsters, miners, seamen, gas and electricity, oil workers, estate workers and railroad workers.
Around 600-800 delegates participated in the Malang congress. Most of them came from Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
. One delegate represented the Indonesian Democratic Union from West Timor
West Timor
West Timor is the western and Indonesian portion of the island of Timor and part of the province of East Nusa Tenggara, .During the colonial period it was known as "Dutch Timor" and was a centre of Dutch loyalists during the Indonesian National Revolution...
. Foreign guests at the Malang congress included two Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
ns, Ted Roach and Mike Healy, and two Dutch trade unionists, Blokzijl (of Eenheids Vakcentrale) and RKN Vijlbrief. J.G. Suurhof (of Nederlands Verbond van Vakvereenigingen
Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen
The Nederlands Verbond van Vakverenigingen was a Dutch social-democratic trade union.-History:...
) and Evert Kupers, in his capacity as the vice-chairperson of World Federation of Trade Union
World Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
, were attending the congress as well. Rajkni Tomovic (Yugoslavia), Jean Lautissier (France) and Olga Tchetchekina (Russia) of the WFTU were also present.
The top leadership of the new organization consisted of the chairman Harjono, the vice chairman Setiadjit (chairman of the Labour Party of Indonesia
Labour Party of Indonesia
-Indonesian Labour Front:The party was founded as a national trade union center, the Indonesian Labour Front , on September 15, 1945...
and second Deputy Prime Minister in the Sjarifuddin cabinet) and general secretary Njono.
The Malang congress received significant attention from the Dutch press, both in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and in Batavia. The Dutch press argued that the SOBSI congress indicated a strong communist influence in the Indonesian labour movement.
After the formation of SOBSI, the GSBI trade union centre dissolved itself and its member unions joined SOBSI. SOBSI became a member of the Sajap Kiri coalition of left-wing groups. After Sajap Kiri was superseded by the short-lived People's Democratic Front
People's Democratic Front (Indonesia)
People's Democratic Front was a short-lived united front of leftists in Indonesia, founded in February 1948. FDR included the Communist Party of Indonesia, the Socialist Party, Labour Party of Indonesia, SOBSI and the Farmers Union. The leader of FDR was Amir Sjarifuddin....
, SOBSI joined the new front.
Madiun Affair
Until the Madiun AffairMadiun Affair
The Madiun Affair was a communist uprising in 1948 during the Indonesian National Revolution in the town of Madiun. Leftist parties led an uprising against the leaders of the newly-declared Indonesian Republic, but it was quashed by Republican forces....
, a communist uprising in September 1948, SOBSI was the sole relevant trade union force in the country. When the uprising broke out in the town of Madiun
Madiun
Madiun is a city in the western part of the province of East Java Indonesia, an agricultural centre. It is the capital of the regency of the same name....
, several of the communist SOBSI leaders went underground. Many SOBSI leaders were killed or went into exile when the revolt was subsequently crushed. The SOBSI chairman Harjono and Sarbupri
Sarbupri
Sarbupri, short for Sarekat Buruh Perkebunan Republik Indonesia , was a trade union of plantation estate workers in Indonesia. As of the late 1950s, it was the largest trade union in the country...
(estate workers union, the largest SOBSI union) chairman Maruto Darusman were imprisoned after the uprising and were killed by the Indonesian army in December 1948, as Dutch troops approached the prison site. SOBSI operations were shut down by the army. Nineteen out of 34 affiliated unions withdrew from SOBSI in protest against the role played by communist leaders in the rebellion. SOBSI was however not formally outlawed, as the organization as such had not supported the uprising.
Re-establishment
Trade unions temporarily stopped to function during the Dutch attackOperatie Kraai
Operatie Kraai was the code name for a Dutch military offensive against the newly formed Republic of Indonesia in December 1948 - January 1949...
in December 1948. From May 1948 work began to reorganize SOBSI. SOBSI was re-established in September 1949. The new leadership was clearly dominated by the Communist Party. The acting chairman of SOBSI, Asrarudin, left the organization in protest against the communist dominance. In November 1949, SOBSI launched a campaign against the Round Table Conference agreement. The organization also called for a Lebaran
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
festival bonus to be instituted. These demands became widely popular, and the organization rapidly expanded its base. By mid-1950 SOBSI had twenty-five vertical unions as well as many local affiliated unions. It claimed a membership of 2.5 million (although that figure was questioned by outsiders). In November 1950 Njono, then 28 years old, returned from a prolonged study trip to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and overtook the leadership of SOBSI as its chairman.
Notably, whilst no longer holding monopoly over the trade union sector, SOBSI was far better organized and financed than its rivals. Moreover, the SOBSI leadership had more experience than that of other unions. Non-SOBSI unions tended to have either a defensive approach towards SOBSI or merely mimmicking SOBSI discourse.
Militant period
Between 1950 and early 1952, SOBSI attempted to mobilize militant actions, raising issues such as wages, social security and workplace conditions. SOBSI launched a wave of strikes in late 1950. In September 1950 Sarbupri launched a nationwide strike, which paralyzed most estates. The Sarbupri strike resulted in the first major victory for SOBSI, having forced the government to significantly increase the estate workers' minimum wage. Strikes by oil workers in the same year blocked plans for lay-offs and forces the government to institute a non-contributory pension scheme instead. In response to the SOBSI strike wave several regional commanders of the army outlawed strikes in essential industries. The policy was by the Natsir cabinetNatsir Cabinet
The Natsir Cabinet was the first cabinet of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia following the dissolution of the United States of Indonesia. It served from 7 September 1950 until 21 March 1951.-Cabinet leadership:*Prime Minister: Mohammed Natsir...
in February 1951. Following the issue of the ban, SOBSI turned to sporadic strikes and sabotage actions (such as destroying cargo at ports or crops at plantations). Through these actions the organization sought to foment social unrest in the country.
In September 1951 an emergency law substituted the ban on strikes in vital industries, which stipulated mandatory arbitration (which SOBSI initially opposed) In August 1951 around 3,000 SOBSI activists and leaders were imprisoned in a government crackdown on opposition, in the wake of speculations about a possible leftist coup d'état. However, relatively few SOBSI branches and unions mobilized protests against the arrests.
National United Front line
On March 1, 1952, the PKI Central Committee adopted a resolution labelling the activities of SOBSI as 'sectarian'. The PKI instructed SOBSI to align with the national united frontUnited front
The united front is a form of struggle that may be pursued by revolutionaries. The basic theory of the united front tactic was first developed by the Comintern, an international communist organisation created by revolutionaries in the wake of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.According to the theses of...
line of the party; that SOBSI should seek cooperation with non-communist trade unions and mobilize the broadest section of workers.
SOBSI held a national conference between September 27 and October 12, 1952, which ratified the shift to the national united front line. The meeting adopted a new constitution for SOBSI, void of any mention of 'socialism', 'people's democracy
People's Democracy
People's Democracy was a political organisation that, while supporting the campaign for civil rights for Northern Ireland's Catholic minority, stated that such rights could only be achieved through the establishment of a socialist republic for all of Ireland...
', 'class struggle
Class struggle
Class struggle is the active expression of a class conflict looked at from any kind of socialist perspective. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels wrote "The [written] history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle"....
' and 'democratic centralism
Democratic centralism
Democratic centralism is the name given to the principles of internal organization used by Leninist political parties, and the term is sometimes used as a synonym for any Leninist policy inside a political party...
'. Under the new orientation SOBSI sought to build alliances with the peasantry and non-comprador
Comprador
Comprador or Compradore is a term used to describe native managers of European business houses in East Asia.-History:...
bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
for popular democratic revolution and to mobilize resistance against imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
. From this point onwards, SOBSI was cautious of entering into direct conflicts with the government and national capitalists. In direct contradiction to its earlier line, SOBSI even pledged to help national capitalists and to increase productivity in industries. However, the Communist Party eventually intervened against the notion of productivity-increase at its 1956 congress. SOBSI began forming coordination committees with other unions in different sectors. In 1953 SOBSI, KBKI and four other trade union centres formed a joint May Day
International Workers' Day
International Workers' Day is a celebration of the international labour movement and left-wing movements. It commonly sees organized street demonstrations and marches by working people and their labour unions throughout most of the world. May 1 is a national holiday in more than 80 countries...
committee. From that point onwards, May Day rallies were held jointly.
However, in spite of the more moderate line of SOBSI its affiliated union remained more active in defense of the interests of their members than the rival unions. In July 1952 the sugar workers union SBG held a major strike demanding Lebaran bonus. In September 1953 a Sarbupri strike forced the government to increase wages for estate workers with 30%.
SOBSI held its second national congress in January 1955. At this point, the organization had 128 branch offices and claimed a membership of 2,661,970. The congress ratified the new constitution adopted in 1952. During 1955 SOBSI was able to achieve the implementation of some of its long-running demands, such as introduction of Lebaran bonus, new wage scale for workers and employees in the public sector and distribution of cheap essential goods in some enterprises.
On March 18, 1957 SOBSI organized a 24-hour general strike
General strike
A general strike is a strike action by a critical mass of the labour force in a city, region, or country. While a general strike can be for political goals, economic goals, or both, it tends to gain its momentum from the ideological or class sympathies of the participants...
in south Sumatra
South Sumatra
South Sumatra is a province of Indonesia.-Geography:It is on the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of Lampung to the south, Bengkulu to the west, and Jambi to the north...
, protest against the local take-over of power by a regional army commander. On the following day, SOBSI issued a warning to Suwirjo that SOBSI would organize a nationwide general strike if he formed a government cabinet with Masjumi and excluding PKI.
Guided Democracy
With the introduction of Guided DemocracyGuided Democracy
Guided democracy, also called managed democracy, is a term for a democratic government with increased autocracy. Governments are legitimated by elections that, while free and fair, are used by the government to continue their same policies and goals...
, President Sukarno
Sukarno
Sukarno, born Kusno Sosrodihardjo was the first President of Indonesia.Sukarno was the leader of his country's struggle for independence from the Netherlands and was Indonesia's first President from 1945 to 1967...
increasingly came to rely on SOBSI as the representative of labour. SOBSI was awarded status as a 'functional group' with representation at different levels. When Sukarno appointed a 45-member National Council on July 12, 1957, with the task of assisting the cabinet, SOBSI was awarded one seat (represented by Munir).
In July 1957, the SOBSI headquarters were attacked with grenades.
In September 1957 a reorganization took place inside SOBSI. The vertical and local unions were reorganized into 31 national unions. The organization had eight regional offices and 150 branches by this point.
SOBSI led struggles, both in the streets and inside parliament, demanding nationalizations of Dutch enterprises. When the Indonesian government nationalized Dutch companies in December 1957, SOBSI declared its willingness to keep the companies running. In the wake of the nationalizations, inter-island shipping services were disrupted and thousands of seamen and harbour workers were left unemployed. SOBSI demanded that government pay wages to these groups, a demand conceded to by the government as it accepted to pay wages to the unemployed seamen and harbour workers until mid-1959.
SOBSI representatives were included in the National Council of the National Front (represented by Munir from August 1960), the People's Consultative Assembly and provincial and local councils, appointed by Sukarno in July 1959. Moreover, on August 15, 1959 SOBSI obtained one seat in the National Advisory Council and the National Planning Council. Some eight SOBSI representatives were included in the appointed parliament formed in June 1960.
SOBSI held its third national congress in September–October 1960. In November 1960 the organization had 165 branches and five preparatory branches. At the time the organization claimed a membership of 2,732,909. The SOBSI headquarters had around 50 full-time staff members.
Conflict with the army
Eventually, the nationalizations resulted in increased antagonism between SOBSI and the army. In many instances Dutch-owned properties had been seized by SOBSI unions, but were later taken over by the military. Many high-ranking officers were included in the management boards of nationalized companies, and were hostile to the SOBSI influence in the state enterprises. Most of the rivals of SOBSI in the labour movement aligned with the army in challenging SOBSI dominance. Moreover, an army-backed trade union centre, SOKSI, was formed in 1961, a move SOBSI vehemtly protested against.The army and the Minister of Labour had plans of creating a sole trade union federation in the country, as a way of disarming SOBSI. SOBSI was however able to defeat the plan. In response to the attacks on SOBSI by army elements in state enterprises, PKI began denouncing them as 'bureaucratic capitalists'. SOBSI stepped up its militant opposition against the 'bureaucratic capitalists' in 1960, in response to the abolishing of various colonial-era benefits (such as the Lebaran bonus) in state enterprises.
Three-year plan
On January 1, 1961 SOBSI declared an ambitious three-year plan of action on organizing, education and culture. In particular SOBSI sought to strengthen its presence in agricultural and transport sectors. The campaign bore fruit, and the organization claimed to have gained half a million members in two years. As of late 1962, SOBSI claimed to have 3,277,032 members. In East JavaEast Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
alone, SOBSI claimed a membership exceeding 510,000. During this period 5,278 teachers had been trained to carry out base-level courses, 30,703 SOBSI activists had passed through training courses. During 1962, 19,964 workers completed literacy classes organized by SOBSI. 145 SOBSI sports teams and eleven revolutionary choirs were formed. SOBSI gathered around half of the unionized workers in the country at the time.
In December 1963 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
decided to expand the area of operations of its Seventh Fleet to the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
. PKI and SOBSI saw this move as a threat to Indonesia, and SOBSI demanded the nationalization of American companies in Indonesia as a retaliation.
Towards the mid-1960s, SOBSI began to diverge from the party line. The organization became increasingly dissatisfied with the policy of putting national interests ahead of class interests. The PKI leader Aidit condemned these tendencies as 'trade unionism'.
Njono left his post as SOBSI chairman in September 1964, as he was assigned to lead the Greater Jakarta organization of PKI.
SOBSI held its fourth national congress in 1965.
Supression
Following the 1965 military coup d'état, the army wiped out SOBSI and its 62 affiliated unions. On October 10, the SOBSI office in SurabayaSurabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
was taken over by the army. In West Kalimantan
West Kalimantan
West Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is one of four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital city Pontianak is located right on the Equator....
, the SOBSI office was ranksacked by anti-communist protestors. At Solo and other cities in Central Java
Central Java
Central Java is a province of Indonesia. The administrative capital is Semarang. It is one of six provinces on the island of Java.This province is the province of high Human Development in Indonesia and its Points Development Index countries is equivalent to Lebanon. The province of Central Java...
railway workers went on strike to prevent the arrival of RPKAD shock troops. The strike was broken only after the army used machine guns against the workers. There were claims by SOBSI envoys abroad that other strikes were being organized in Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
and North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi
North Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia. It is on the island of Sulawesi, and borders the province of Gorontalo to the west . The islands of Sangihe and Talaud form the northern part of the province, which border Davao del Sur in the Philippines.The capital and largest city in North Sulawesi is...
.
On November 3, 1965 the activities of SOBSI were declared 'frozen' by the government.
Njono was sentenced to death in February 1966. After March 1966, repression against SOBSI was stepped up. Many union members were killed or imprisoned, many of them on the island Buru
Buru
Buru is the third largest island within Maluku Islands of Malay Archipelago. It lies between the Banda Sea to the south and Seram Sea to the north, west of Ambon and Seram islands. The island belongs to Maluku province of Indonesia and includes the Buru and South Buru regencies...
. Prior to the crack-down, U.S.-trained trade unionists had gathered information about SOBSI members and sympathizers. Once the massacres and killings began, these lists were used to identify SOBSI followers. The organization was banned.
With the crushing of SOBSI, decades of tradition of Indonesian radical labour organizing died out. Under the New Order
New Order (Indonesia)
The New Order is the term coined by former Indonesian President Suharto to characterize his regime as he came to power in 1966. Suharto used this term to contrast his rule with that of his predecessor, Sukarno...
regime, government discourse would continue to argue that independent labour organizing and communism was intimately linked.
Relations with the Communist Party
Albeit always nominally independent, SOBSI had close links with the Communist Party. Communist Party cadres had worked within SOBSI since the time of its foundation. Other groups influential inside SOBSI during its first years were the Socialist PartySocialist Party (Indonesia)
The Socialist Party was a political party in Indonesia. It was founded in December 1945 at a meeting in Cheribon, as the Socialist People's Party of Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and the Socialist Party of Indonesia of Defence Minister Sjarifuddin merged...
of Amir Sjarifuddin
Amir Sjarifuddin
Amir Sjarifuddin Harahap, also spelled Amir Sjarifoeddin Harahap was a socialist politician and one of the Indonesian Republic's first leaders, becoming Prime Minister during the country's National Revolution. A Christian convert from a Muslim Batak family, Amir was a major leader of the Left...
and the Labour Party of Indonesia
Labour Party of Indonesia
-Indonesian Labour Front:The party was founded as a national trade union center, the Indonesian Labour Front , on September 15, 1945...
. By 1951, the party loosely controlled the national leadership of SOBSI. In response to the PKI influence over SOBSI, non-communist sectors withdrew from the organization and established different trade union organizations of their own. In March 1952 the Communist Party launched a massive recruitment campaign amongst the SOBSI ranks, and large numbers of SOBSI members became party members. But the SOBSI leadership was not exclusively communist, the SOBSI leader Ahem Erningpradja was a member of the leadership of the Indonesian Nationalist Party.
Njono, the chairman of SOBSI, became a candidate member of the PKI Politburo
Politburo
Politburo , literally "Political Bureau [of the Central Committee]," is the executive committee for a number of communist political parties.-Marxist-Leninist states:...
at the 1956 party congress. Likewise, the nine-member central board of SOBSI elected consisted of eight parliamentarians elected on the Communist Party list (six declared Communist Party members whilst the other two were supposedly independents).
SOBSI played an active and important role in the electoral campaigns of the Communist Party, both ahead of the two national elections held 1955 and the local elections held 1957-1958. Local level SOBSI electoral action committees were formed throughout the country. SOBSI mobilized workers to participate in PKI election meetings.
International cooperation
At the Malang congress in 1947, SOBSI decided to affiliate itself to the World Federation of Trade UnionsWorld Federation of Trade Unions
The World Federation of Trade Unions was established in 1945 to replace the International Federation of Trade Unions. Its mission was to bring together trade unions across the world in a single international organization, much like the United Nations...
. Two SOBSI delegates, Harjono and Oei Gee Hwat, participated in a WFTU meeting in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
in June 1947, at which SOBSI was accepted as a member of the international organization.
As part of the new national united front line adopted in 1952, SOBSI began organizing frequent joint delegations with other Indonesian unions to countries of the Socialist Bloc.
Njono served as vice chairman of WFTU.
Women's Bureau
SOBSI had a separate Women's Bureau, whose membership overlapped that of GerwaniGerwani
Gerwani was an organization of communist women active in Indonesia in the 1950s and 1960s...
(a women's movement connected to PKI). The SOBSI Women's Bureau and Gerwani led joint campaigns, demanding implementation of women's rights guaranteed by the 1951 Labour Law (such as rights to maternity and menstruation leave and breastfeeding breaks at the workplace).
Publications
SOBSI issued various publications. The main publication of SOBSI was Bendera Buruh ('Workers Flag'). Bendera Buruh had been launched in March 1956, substituting the semi-monthly Buletin SOBSI (which had reached a circulation of 10,000). SOBSI also issued an English-languageEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
monthly publication called Indonesian Trade Union News.
SOBSI publications were, however, largely unprofitable. As of 1957, Bendera Buruh sales only compensated around 40% of its production costs. As of May 1957, circulation of Bendera Buruh stood at a meagre 5,500. In 1958 there was a decision that Bendera Buruh ought to be distributed to every base-level union organization of SOBSI, but this was never implemented fully. Bendera Buruh was closed down in October 1960.
Unions affiliated to SOBSI
- SarbupriSarbupriSarbupri, short for Sarekat Buruh Perkebunan Republik Indonesia , was a trade union of plantation estate workers in Indonesia. As of the late 1950s, it was the largest trade union in the country...
(estate workers) - SarbuksiSarbuksiSarbuksi, short for Sarekat Buruh Kehutanan Seluruh Indonesia , was a trade union of forest workers in Indonesia. Sarbuksi was affiliated to the trade union centre SOBSI, which was linked to the Communist Party of Indonesia. During its existence, Sarbuksi was highly influential in regards to...
(forest workers) - PERBUM (oil workers)
- SBTI/SOBSI (miners)
- SBKA (railways)
- SBPP (sailors)
- SBKB (chauffeurs)
- SBPU (construction and general workers)
- SEPDA (municipal employees)
- SBG (sugar plantation workers)
- SarbufisSarbufisSarbufis, short for Sarekat Buruh Film dan Sandiwara , was a trade union in Indonesia. Sarbufis was affiliated to the trade union centre SOBSI, which was linked to the Communist Party of Indonesia. As of January 1960, Sarbufis claimed a membership of 6,000...
(film & theatre workers) - SerbaudSerbaudSerbaud, short for Serikat Buruh Angkatan Udara , was a trade union of air transport employees and workers Indonesia. Serbaud was affiliated to the trade union centre SOBSI, which was linked to the Communist Party of Indonesia...
(aviation) - SBIM (metal workers)
- SB Kependjaraan (prison employees)
- SerbuniSerbuniSerbuni, short for Serikat Buruh Unilever Indonesia , was a trade union of workers at the factories of Unilever in Indonesia. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Serbuni was the largest of the four trade unions at the Unilever factories in the country...
(UnileverUnileverUnilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
workers)