The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

Trade Unions

Gaining the grassroots vote

The urban poor and workers unions are looking to local government to improve their lot

Labour takes a citizenship approach

A woman tips a coin tin over another woman's open palm.

Despite the impressive activism of Pekalongan’s labour union, its political clout remains limited

Balancing business

Indonesia’s unions are engaging in electoral politics in unprecedented ways in an attempt to balance the influence of business

A new tactical toolkit

The labour movement successfully adopted new tactics in their campaign for social security reform

Back on the streets

A national strike shows that workers are once again a significant force

Organising for migrant worker rights

Non-governmental organisations continue to fill the gap in the absence of viable alternatives

Fauzi Abdullah (1949-2009)

Indonesian labour activists are mourning the passing of a great man

Politics of symbolism

Unionists express their disgust at local government’s failure to look after the interests of workers

An unlikely unionist

Inspired by television and Muchtar Pakpahan, a traditional fisherman decides it’s time to act.

On the Waterfront

The Military Fleeces and Polices Port Workers

Women in trade unions

No big gains for women workers

Labour loses - again

The elections show that Indonesian workers are not yet a major political presence

From workers' rights to democracy

From workers’ rights to democracy

From migrant worker to union organiser

A farmer’s daughter takes control and makes a difference

The fight for women's rights

It’s been a long struggle trying to get unions to listen to women

Beyond the factory

Fauzi Abdullah reflects on more than a quarter of a century of organising

Union conflict

Greater freedom to organise also means more opportunity for division

Workers in politics

Why is organised labour missing from the democracy movement?

Corporate social responsibility?

Just a public relations exercise that undermines workers’ rights

United we stand?

Indonesia’s labour movement needs to consolidate the gains of 1998

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A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.