UNI trains logistics organisers in Indonesia
UNI SCORE and UNI APRO ran a two day training course for organisers in the logistics industry in Indonesia. Union leaders and organisers from DHL, Linfox and Indonesia Post gained valuable knowledge on organising techniques and how to develop an organising strategy in their industry and specific companies. Joanna Katsoulas, Organising Coordinator from UNI SCORE and Motobayashi, UNI Apro Organising Director, worked with Kun Wardana, UNI Apro's director in Indonesia, to help local union leaders and organisers to improve their organising techniques and to develop new strategies for organising the workers in the logistics industry. Logistics is expanding at a rapid rate in Indonesia and the local unions, under the umbrella of ASPEK, the union federation that is affiliated to UNI, have been targeting these companies for organising, with some success.
However they wanted to improve their organising and to build stronger unions in this sector, and in particular to get union recognition at DHL Express in Indonesia, where to date DHL has refused to recognise the union. The aim of union recognition in DHL Express will then be to bargain a collective contract to ensure proper protections and decent working conditions are established.
The Linfox union, which already has union recognition and a collective contract, is wanting to improve their membership and to build a stronger platform of committed activists to help organise other parts of the logistics industry in Indonesia.
The workshop was an outstanding success and the organisers went away with new skills and new motivation to organise Indonesian logistics workers. The UNI SCORE Organising Coordinator, Joanna Katsoulas, who planned and ran the training, said;
"The training was a roaring success! They loved it and they are feeling very pumped! One of the participants, a woman leader and mother of 4 was fantastic and strong. She told the workshop that other women should get involved. The Union leaders wrote their big goal for their union on the UNI flag so they can hang it in their office as a reminder and for the DHL Union Leaders, their goal is a good CBA (Collective Agreement!)"