GENEVA (ILO News) - The Director-General of the ILO, Mr. Michel Hansenne, has welcomed the decision of the new Indonesian Government to release Mr. Muchtar Pakpahan, President of the Serikat Buruh Sejahtera Indonesia, and several of his colleagues, who are members of Indonesia's independent trade union confederation.
Mr. Pakpahan was released from Cipinang Prison in Jakarta at 00:50 (Jakarta time) this morning. He had been held since 1996 on criminal charges relating to civil unrest and alleged subversion, charges which the ILO Committee on Freedom of Association considered as unjustified and deriving from legitimate trade union activities. The ILO Committee has repeatedly called for all criminal charges to be dropped and for Mr. Pakpahan to be released.
In a letter to the Indonesian Minister of Manpower, Mr. Fahmi Idris, Michel Hansenne expressed "the great pleasure that I take from this news, which constitutes an important and positive development with regard to freedom of association."
Mr. Hansenne added that he hopes this release of imprisoned trade unionists "will be but one of a series of measures which will contribute to the positive development of the trade union situation in Indonesia and to the full respect of the principles contained in the ILO Conventions on freedom of association."
Mr. Hansenne also wrote to the released trade unionist, Mr. Pakpahan, assuring him that "the ILO will continue to closely follow the trade union situation in Indonesia, especially with regard to developments concerning the SBSI.
In other developments, the Manpower Minister of Indonesia announced that independent trade unions will be officially recognised as soon as the Government ratifies ILO Convention No. 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise, 1948), which it intends to do. The Government also reaffirmed its intention to ratify ILO Conventions No. 105 (Abolition of Forced Labour, 1957), No. 111 (Discrimination, Employment and Occupation, 1958) and No. 138 (Minimum Age, 1976).