Tag: Indonesia

As a worker on a low wage, sometimes I get scared when I imagine my future. I worry that when I am elderly my own situation won’t be that different from my neighbours. Even in their old age they have to work very hard just to scrape by. Read more »

It has become a custom for Indonesians to commemorate Independence Day by holding competitions. This year the factory also held competitions for the workers inside its grounds. The competitions included panjat pinang (pole climbing) and a singing competition. Read more »

In mid May I asked for leave from my union activities at GSBI and returned for a fortnight to my parent’s house in a village near the city of Solo, Central Java. At the village I kept busy helping my parents in the fields. My parents are farmers and do not have any regular income. Their own land doesn’t yield enough to cover every day necessities. So to fulfil their daily needs they work as labourers on other people’s land. With their meagre income, my parents still support two of their children (my older sister and young sister), as well as three grandchildren (from my older sister). Read more »

The other morning I spoke with some villagers who live in the district surrounding the Ching Luh factory. They told me about a local hustler who promotes factory recruitment. Potential applicants are asked for money ranging from 2-2.5 million rupiah (equivalent to two months of a factory workers’ full time wage). Read more »

My own recruitment experience serves as evidence of this fact. Earlier this year I was finally offered to sit a test carried out by the CLI human resources department. Read more »

English / Bahasa My parents are in their sixties now. They are subsistence farmers, but since they don’t own enough land to support themselves, they also work as farm labourers. I should be looking after them, sending them money for their everyday needs. It’s not like they are office workers who retire to a pension. […] Read more »

English / Bahasa I ask that the CEO of Adidas starts to really pay attention to the rights of workers who make their shoes. I hope that Adidas can guarantee that workers will be given those rights and also paid a wage more appropriate to a prestigious company like Adidas. Why is it that Adidas […] Read more »

English / Bahasa I always hope that Adidas consumers will think more about the issues faced by the people who make the shoes that they wear. Don’t just be influenced by the sports shoes advertisements that emphasise luxury, wealth, strength and quality. Instead try to look behind the scenes at the workers who make those […] Read more »

English / Bahasa Producing sports shoes in the factory I earn about $140 (AUD) per month. Most of this income (80%) I hand over to my mother so that she can cover our household expenses and schooling for my younger brother and sisters. I don’t have any personal savings. My family that is my savings! […] Read more »

English / Bahasa Before I got status as a permanent worker I had to under go a three month trial period. This was really tough- during this time the pressure is really high. Even if we are feeling really ill there is no way we wouldn’t come to work. Our supervisors often don’t follow the […] Read more »