Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining: A study of Indonesian experience 1998-2003
Patrick Quinn served as the Chief Technical Adviser of an ILO project in Indonesia that sought to help trade unionists, inter alia, how to organize and administer workers’ organizations and how to negotiate with employers – starting in the late 1990s when the Suharto regime first began to wobble and them fell in mid-1998, and continuing up to early 2003. He was therefore a privileged observer of the changes that occurred, well placed to report on developments. For that reason, I asked him to put black on white what he had seen and heard for the preparation of the ILO’s forthcoming second global report on freedom of association and collective bargaining, which is due to be discussed at next June’s International Labour Conference.
The purpose of this study is to provide a picture of progress made in implementing freedom of association and collective bargaining within Indonesia. It considers the positive steps that have been taken since 1998, the difficulties and practical issues that the Government and social partners have faced, and the issues that require further attention. The study also considers the contribution which ILO technical assistance has been able to make to the process of change.