HOSTUM is not merely an action but a movement for achieving a decent and dignified living
National action HOSTUM, abbreviated for Outsourcing Abolition and Declining Wage Refusal, is a movement to claim promises resulted from the succeed of Indonesia positive economic growth. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono admitted that sustaining Indonesia economic growth should bring about labour wage increment (Kompas, 12 July 2012). Yet, Indonesian workers seem not get benefits from the economy growth despite the fact they have been playing influential roles in creating the economy growth through the production increment of industrial sectors.
To make workers welfare is not difficult: a decent living wage is the standard to deliver purchasing power to workers, in addition to economy real growth leverage. However, the irony happens. As KSPI (Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions) President Said Iqbal said, as cited in Bisnis Newspaper (12 July 2012), Indonesia is rich country with its number 16th Gross Domestic Product in the world but lacks of paying attention to its workers welfare. Indonesian workers’ minimum wage is only 120 US dollar, far below Thailand workers who enjoy 320 US dollar in their pocket. In fact, Thailand GDP is twice lower compared to Indonesia.
Recent outsourcing practices which have been a recruitment trend in the employment system are inhumane and undermine the existence of workers because the practices are neither guaranteeing the future of the workers nor basic rights for a decent living. Those practices are part of low wage politic the government plays and instead of reflecting a fair wage they on the contrary impoverish the workers. (more…)