Statement of GSBI: QATAR WORLD CUP 2022; Held on the result of forced labor and modern slavery against the working class in various countries, to the loss of the lives of thousands of migrant workers.

Statement of GSBI For the Grand Event of the Qatar World Cup 2022 

QATAR WORLD CUP 2022:  Held on the result of forced labor and modern slavery against the working class in various countries, to the loss of the lives of thousands of migrant workers. 

“Stop Forced Labor,  Mass Dismissal and Thief the wages of workers !! 

Qatar 2022 World Cup Committee, Brand  Main Sponsors: Must be Responsible to  Recovering Labor Rights that have been Seized During the Covid 19 Pandemic and for Arbitrary Actions, Violations of Human Rights by Supplier Companies for the Qatar World Cup 2022.

 

Democracy  Greeting!!

The grand event of the Qatar World Cup 2022  officially opens today, November 20 2022. The Qatar World Cup 2022 is the 22nd event, which will be held from November 20' 2022 to December 18' 2022. This grand tournament which is held every four years the first time it has been held in the Arabian Peninsula in the history of the World Cup.

Since its preparations in 2010, the Qatari government has spent US$ 200 billion, equivalent to IDR 3,410 trillion at an exchange rate of IDR 15,542/per dollar or one year in the Indonesian state budget. Such funds are used to build infrastructure; Airports, Stadiums, New Metropolitan Areas, Hotels, Recreation Facilities, to overhaul roads, including building a rail system. In his official release, Qatar's Minister of Finance Ali Sahreef Al-Emadi said that all construction had been completed since 2021.

Various reports have been released. The splendor presented by Qatar for the World Cup 2022, has many dark records against migrant workers, being exploited and experiencing violence to the point of death. Working for 12 hours every day or more—no overtime pay—under hot temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius, no months off, low wages and frequent late payments, inhumane accommodation, unable to “resign” or go home because passports were confiscated. Some workers are even denied access to free drinking water during working hours. So it became a world condemnation.

Data shows that to carry out this World Cup preparation project, the Qatari government employed 1.19 million migrant workers (2013), while only 71 thousand native Qatari workers. However, Amnesty.org noted that the number of workers is more than that number. Mentioned, about two million migrant workers, mostly from Africa and Asia. In fact, according to a report by The Guardian-a British newspaper, between 2010 and 2021 there were 6,500 migrant workers who died on average from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. According to other reports, the number could even be greater than that reported by The Guardian. Because there are also many migrant workers who come from the Philippines and Kenya.

As it turns out, it's not only migrant workers working on infrastructure who experience exploitation and work in bad situations. Workers in various countries, including Indonesia, who made Jersey shirt, soccer shoes  as well as various  merchandise  for the Qatar World Cup 2022, also suffered the same bad and tragic fate. Suffering from poverty-low wages, poor working conditions, wages cut by 15% to 50%, unpaid overtime and unfair layoffs.

As experienced by GSBI member workers who made Adidas brand soccer shoes for the Qatar World Cup 2022 at PT. Panarub Industry Tangerang-Banten, whose Adidas model X Speedportal Leyenda shoes are worn by Lionel Messi at the World Cup 2022. This week hundreds of workers are being unfair laid off for the reason of decreasing orders and will be taking the day off, by taking their annual leave rights. Surprisingly, one of Panarub Industry's subsidiaries in Brebes, Central Java, PT Bintang Indokarya Gemilang, has had a sharp increase in production and exports. Likewise in 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, PT Panarub Industry, as a soccer shoe supplier for the World Cup 2022, had cut workers' wages from  IDR 800,000  to IDR 1,300,000  per each worker for two consecutive months (July and August).

Meanwhile, Adidas, so easily and happily willing to spend big to sign Lionel Messi with a value of IDR 352.8 billion per year, the contract value even rises to IDR 454 billion in 2022. But workers who made clothing, shoes and Adidas accessories  are suffer from poverty. Their life is very apprehensive, living in a cramped rented house, stuffy and smelly, and eating in moderation.

Obviously not fair. Adidas is having a great party welcoming new products at the World Cup 2022, making billions of profits in the pocket. Meanwhile, workers who made Adidas shoes suffer from poverty: their wages are cheap and easily fired. Not only Adidas workers, other sports shoe manufacturers, such as ASICs, Huglofs, and Nike are also treated in a similar way.

At PT. Beesco Indonesia, Karawang-West Java, for example, a company that manufactures shoes for the ASICs and Haglofs, on the grounds of the Covid 19 pandemic in 2022 and in October 2022, on the grounds of the global recession, has terminated workers  with unpaid wages, and the company stopped social security immediately.  So the costs for women workers who give birth and get sick must be paid for themselves, the OSH facilities are poor, acts of abuse, verbal and non-verbal violence, menstrual leave and miscarriage rights that women workers cannot get, and other holidays are still deducted from annual leave, holiday allowance was  paying in installments, work targets are very high, overtime work is not paid and workers' wages are cut.

GSBI found that companies is producing clothes and shoes and accessories for the World Cup carried out bad labor practices. Suppliers of Adidas, Nike, GAP, Target, ASICS, Huglofs, Under Armour, Uniqlo and other international brands spread across Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Yogyakarta and Central Java seized labor rights during the Covid-19 pandemic. From depriving wages, unfair layoffs, paid Holiday Allowance in installments, being sent home without pay, castrating the right to negotiate and associate and depriving women workers of their rights. Even though during the 2020-2021 Covid-19 pandemic, those factory was operating normally with rudimentary protection. So that workers are vulnerable to exposure to the corona virus. Workers can barely refuse to work because they are threatened with a reduction in wages on the grounds of no work, no pay. In the end, workers have to pay for themselves by buying masks and increasing their immunity.

For workers in various countries, especially in Indonesia, the World Cup event only provides multiple benefits for international brands sponsoring the World Cup 2022. However, it increases exploitation by leaving suffering, illness and poverty for workers.

The World Cup 2022, coincides with a world situation that is experiencing a recession which is exacerbated by the prolonged Ukrainian-Russian war due to US-NATO provocations, which causes an energy crisis in Europe-US due to its own policy of embargoing Russia by not buying Oil & Gas Nature from Russia, causing Hyper Inflation in the Europe-US region.

This situation is being used again by companies, especially in the textile, garment, shoes and leather (TGSL) sector for malicious tactics in order to multiply their profits by exploiting and depriving workers of wages. With the reason for the decrease in orders, the market is again sluggish due to the Ukrainian-Russian war. As was done by APINDO, API (Indonesian Garment Association), APRESINDO (Indonesian Footwear Association) , KOFA  (Korean Footwear Association) and KOGA (Korean Garment Manufacturing Association) which requested to Ministery of Manpower  to make additional regulation concerning flexibility of days and working hours,  for export-oriented labor-intensive industries.

In the midst of the impact of inflation due to the increase in fuel prices last September which spread to the increase in the price of basic necessities that the government has not been able to resolve. Reducing working hours, reducing wages for reasons of no work no pay, cutting leave entitlements, forcing early retirement by reducing severance pay, to mass layoffs of permanent workers and replacing them with contract/outsourcing workers who are paid much lower than permanent workers  and without social security and job security  continue to be massively carried out by employers. Moreover, the Act No. 11 of 2020 concerning Job Creation  is guarantees ease of termination  without negotiation and ensuring the supply of labor through outsourcing agencies.

The narrative developed by these entrepreneurs is very much different from the existing data. Even though they already enjoy various benefits from government policies. Since September 9 2015, entrepreneurs have enjoyed 16 business convenience policy packages, from tax allowances to capital assistance. According to the Indonesian Ministry of Finance; in the real sector, the company's condition is  relatively good, even growing. Likewise the TPT (textile and textile products) export trend, during the January-August 2022 period. Other data also shows that the TPT financial condition has increase 10 percent, even higher than the manufacturing industry, whose sales growth is around 5 percent (Kompas, 7 November 2022). And various reports by  workers who working in companies that supply garments, textiles, footwear and leather for international brands also state that the daily production target has not changed much. In the last three months, from August to October 2022, even workers have to carry out overtime.

In addition, official government data also shows exports of clothing and clothing accessories (HS61) growing 19.4% (year-on-year), non-knitted clothing and accessories (HS62) growing 37.5%, and footwear (HS64) grew 41.1% as of September 2022. The Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA) recorded a record sales of footwear (shoes) in the US in 2021 of US$100.7 billion, up 20.5% year on year. And despite the threat of a recession, 78% of US families want to buy new shoes as schools and public spaces reopen. Apparel sales in the US in August 2022 still grew 22.4% compared to August 2019 or before the pandemic. This shows that sales of clothing and shoes are still growing positively, even compared to pre-pandemic sales

Meanwhile, regarding the layoff data submitted by the Manpower Office in each region this month, GSBI views and emphasizes that this reflects more arbitrary dismissal patterns rather than showing the impact of the global recession. All layoff figures put forward by the Manpower Office in cities and regencies, are more indicative of the weak performance of officials at the Manpower Office who allow layoffs to take place blindly. Demonstrating their powerlessness before the businessmen – exposing them as clearly as possible as accomplices (bureaucratic capitalists) of the businessmen and landlords.

Therefore, the center of Indonesian Labor Struggle (GSBI) as a national labor union, the center of the struggle of workers and labor unions (Vaksentral) in Indonesia, one of which brings together the largest members of workers in the garment, textile and footwear industry sectors. At the momentum of the event of the Qatar World Cup 2022 to convey the statement and demands:

1.    The owners of  international brands such as Adidas, Nike, ASICs, H&M, Haglof, GAP, Target, Under Armor, Uniqlo, etc, to take full responsibility to ensuring that there are No Lay-offs and No Wage Deduction of workers who work in their supply chain.  And IMMEDIATELY to pay back the wages that cut by supplier  during the Covid-19 pandemic, and reinstatement the workers who were lay-offs due impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. As well as ensure that supplying companies will respect the right on  Freedom of including the right to negotiate and strike.

 

2.    All international brand owners and supply chain until down to the lowest supplier to immediately stop all business practices that exploit workers, do business by ignoring human rights. Because it is clear that the impact will be very bad for workers and society both in the short and long term, even for the business itself. Ignoring human rights will have a major impact on business continuity and acceptance in the global market.

 

3.    Host Committee of the Qatar World Cup 2022, must be responsible for restore the rights of migrant workers who have been deprived, abused, exploited, violated their human rights, including those who have died. FIFA must also be responsible for ensuring that all sponsors are held accountable and ensure the restoration of all  deprived labor rights, stopping all acts of exploitation, forced labor and modern slave. Allocating profits from the World Cup and the business of sponsors to compensate for labor rights that have been seized so far – restoring labor rights.

 

 

4.    President Joko Widodo to:

 

a.    Revoke the Job Creation Omnibus Law or Law Number 11 of 2020 and all of its derivative products.

 

b.    Stop all forms of layoffs and cuts the wages of workers, as well as deprivation of workers' basic rights for any reason. Take firm legal action against companies that violate labor rights and laws and regulations

 

c.    Stop using PP 36 of 2021 concerning Wages in setting a Minimum Wage which actually perpetuates the politics of labor wages and deprivation of labor wages. And enact the National Minimum Wage System (UMN) as a solution that will answer wage inequality and wage discrimination.

 

The intended National Minimum Wage (UMN) is a basic (lowest) wage system paid to workers who are not exempt and may not be negotiated, applies nationally to workers with a working period of zero to one year, which is determined directly by the central (national government) while still involving the participation of trade unions through the national wage council.

 

d.    Apply the National Minimum Wage (UMN) for 2023 is Rp. 5,756,750.- per month.

 

e.    Carry out True Agrarian Reform and Build National Industrialization as a true solution to the problems of the nation and people of Indonesia.

 

5.    GSBI is of the opinion, as well as expresses its stance that the current situation demands that the labor movement must be united in the unity and struggle of the masses, especially in the industrial sectors which are most affected by the world recession-stagflation storm. These steps of unity and struggle must underlie the attitudes and actions of the collective resistance of the working class and its unity with other oppressed people, how to deal with employers and make demands on the central and regional governments in order to protect the collective interests of Indonesian workers.  Without unity and collective strike action that hits the company's interests, employers will continue to arbitrarily make unilateral decisions to the detriment of the working class.

 

For this reason, GSBI invites and calls on Indonesian workers to oppose the wave of layoffs, fight wage cuts and deprivation and demand an increase in workers' wages. Strengthen the Unity and Struggle of Indonesian Workers, Inflame the National Strike and Protest Movement as the Strongest Straight Way to Force Employers and the Government to Stop Layoffs and Increase Workers' Wages in the Midst of a Global Recession-Stagflation.

Thus this statement was made and issued by GSBI.

Stand up for Solidarity, against Oppression !!

Indonesian Working Class, the leader of iberation !!

 

Jakarta, 20 November 2022

In Solidarity,

Central Board of GSBI

(The Center of Indonesian Labor Struggle)

 

 

Contact person:

Emelia Yanti Siahaan (Mobile/WA # +62.8117486731)