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UNI Apro launches a book on social partnership at HERO Supermarket

Published: 25 February 2009
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John Callaghan,

Christopher Ng

and Rusdi Salam
 On 12 February 2009, UNI Apro held an official launch of the publication “Social Partnership in the Making: Trust, Reciprocity and Social Capital at HERO Supermarket”. This is a highly significant report exemplifying the harmonious bipartite relations between the Hero Supermarket management and the Hero Supermarket trade union made possible due to the commitment of the Hero management and the trade union to the concept of partnership industrial relations. What is also very significant was that the Minister of Manpower, HE Dr Ir Erman Suparno, in his address for the publication, commended the Hero Supermarket Management and Union for “putting its best effort in building and fostering good partnership in PT Hero Supermarket”. The ILO Jakarta, similarly, was “pleased with the collaborative effort by the management, workers and the union of PT Hero Supermarket and UNI Apro to document and draw lessons from the experiences of labour management cooperation”. Present at this book launch was the Chief Executive Officer of Hero Supermarket, John Callaghan, General Chairman of Hero Supermarket Union, Rusdi Salam, Deputy Director of ILO Jakarta, Peter von Rooij and Resident Director of FES Jakarta, Erwin Schweisshelm together with UNI Apro Regional Secretary, Christopher Ng. UNI Apro hopes that this report could dispel misconceptions about trade unions and instead open up discussions for an appreciation of the role that trade unions can play, given the opportunity and recognition, as in the experience of Hero Supermarket Union. It is perhaps also worthy to highlight the role that UNI Apro has played over the last four years in nurturing and establishing a relationship with not only the union and the management at Hero itself but has also developed a strong partnership with Hero Supermarket’s holding management, Dairy Farm. It is hoped that this report produced by UNI Apro could contribute to a greater understanding and the strengthening of the concept of social partnership in the Asia Pacific region.