Mayday 2009: Asian Workers suffered by Global Recession

People Week of Action against Asian Development Bank
People Struggle Front of Indonesia

Indonesian Activist condemn ADB’s meeting during the 2009 Mayday Celebration

The 2009 global recession is in essence an accumulation of human rights violation that suffered by working people entire the world for decades. The Asian workers, as the biggest part of global workforce suffered most by this global economic recession.

“Workers and oppressed people entire the world must defend the rights and promote the genuine and pro-people solution to respond these global recession and oppression,” declared Rudi HB Daman, Chairperson of the Federation of Independence Trade Union and also Coordinator of People Struggle Front (Front Perjuangan Rakyat, FPR) of Indonesia, coalition of people mass organization and NGO that led the mayday celebration in Indonesia.

Offensive of the monopoly capitalist is attacking in almost all sectors of industry in Asia. Rudi HB Daman, the Coordinator of People Struggle Front of Indonesia said, “today, million workers from various sectors of industry in Asia had suffered by lay off. Thousands migrant workers also had forcedly been deported.”

The monopoly capitalist is using the present crisis to effect a transfer wealth from the poor to the wealth, erode and press down on wages and social spending, lay off workers, promote precarious employment, tear up workers rights, clamp down on workers concerted actions and intensify the exploitation of the working class. “Worse, the Asian governments, like in Indonesia, do nothing but keep promoting the market-led labor flexibility rather than fulfilling the rights and demand of workers,” said Rudi. “Workers demand on wage, job security, and government spending on social welfare must not be blamed for causing the phenomenon of stagflation as has assumed by the neoliberal economist”.

According to Rudi, the 2009 mayday celebration in Indonesia has been nationally coordinated in 30 cities in Indonesia and three cities outside of Indonesia. Aside of carrying workers and people demands, the People Struggle Front also putting demand on ADB as the respond on the upcoming ADB’s governor meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali in May 2-5. Rudi said, “ADB’s policy and programs that are supported by various Asian governments had contributed to the increasing poverty and worsening quality of life of people in the regions”.

FPR is strongly condemned the 42th AGM-ADB meeting in Bali because of its lack contribution to the people’s welfare and its violation to the people rights especially in Asia and Pacific regions. FPR took parts in the activity campaign against ADB with the People Week of Action against Asian Development Bank.

“Global economic crisis had eroding the legitimacy of ADB and other multilateral development bank therefore people are in essence no longer needs ADB and reasonable for people to demand the dismissal of ADB,” Rudi ended.***