We Did Not Demonstrate But Were Injured

JAKARTA - "It's been a long time since I started, you and I know how much your arms and muscles and I cost. You know how much you pay. You know if those machines stop, how much is the right price for your staff". The repatriation of a poem entitled Not a New Word from Widji Thukul seemed to bang on awareness, there were differences in generation among workers.

The old generation has field experience, historical understanding, and the site of struggle, while the younger generation who live in the era of all technology, have speed, creativity, and digital strategies that are no less exciting.

Should this visible difference be used as a tool of division? Of course not. In fact, the difference between generations of workers can lead to new forms of resistance. A form that may not have an official name, but has a clear purpose. Movements that are born from unrest, formed through chat and developed through social media.

City Angle

In another corner of the city, just call Ridwan (28 years old) waiting for the next order from the online motorcycle taxi application. Helmet is gone, the jacket is fading. In a day, he can deliver food, take passengers, and occasionally become a courier. He never knew if tomorrow he could still earn money for his wife and children who are still toddlers.

"In the past there was a demo driver, but I didn't join. I was afraid of the account being frozen," he said.

Ridwan has no certainty. There is no fixed salary, no leave, let alone old age insurance. His relationship with the application company is called a " partnership", but in fact, he works full time. He is a laborer, but not a formal worker.

Farmer's Day And Restless For Betrays

Farm day is considered the right moment to move and speak louder over workers' anxiety in the Jokowi regime. On September 24, 2019, a number of labor unions were in line with student and youth actions. Labor organizations such as the Confederation of Congress of the Indonesian Trade Union Alliance (KASBI), Confederation of Indonesian Workers' Unions (KPBI), Confederation of National Unions (KSN), Federation of Port Workers Unions (FPPI), Banking Communication Network (SP Perbankan), SINDICATION, Sentral Movement of nsional Workers (SGBN), Association of Independent Labor Unions (GSBM) and various other labor unions together with students took to the streets.

In addition to campaigning for the issue of Manpower, workers also brought other democratic issues such as the rejection of the RKUHP, rejecting the weakening of the KPK through the revision of the KPK Law and problematic KPK leaders, Canceling the Ratification of the Land Bill, Urging the Ratification of the PKS Bill and rejecting all regulations that are contrary to the interests of the people.

According to history, the labor movement in Indonesia is not only fighting for the benefit of workers but also for greater interests. The involvement of labor unions in the issue of democracy and independence does not only occur today. In the era of the movement, labor unions were able to trouble the colonial government, carry out strikes and sabotage.

When thousands of people were arrested, hundreds of people were injured, four people died, the trade union elite formed a discourse in the public as if workers had nothing to do with the issue carried out by demonstrators. Seven demands for the #reformationdicruption action they considered separate from the labor struggle. The movement of young people at that time seemed to be fueled by two statements by the leaders of labor unions who thought that students' actions had been ridden. They even accused students and students of demonstrations to thwart the inauguration of the elected President, Joko Widodo.

"We ask Indonesian workers, because there are parties who are trying to attract the labor movement to participate in these actions," said Andi Gani Nena Wea after meeting President Jokowi, September 30, 2019.

The two leaders of the labor union seemed to have a disease (forgot) about history. Labor unions have an ideological task to fight and move with the people. Labor unions must be present in the problems faced by the people.

Shifting Resistance through Social Media

The labor movement has been synonymous with mass demonstrations and workers' ranks that fill the streets. However, for Generation Z, which is now starting to enter the world of work, this form of resistance has begun to shift. The shift, which was through the street parliament, has now penetrated cyberspace. Even though he did not participate in the action, his voice was even louder in the ear.

A tangible form of resistance related to the issue of the ratification of the omnibus law. Various movements have emerged to support the law being passed. Several survey agencies direct opinions with biased surveys to bots and polybots on various social media accounts. Paid accounts are aggressively spreading gray propaganda (mixing facts with their own conclusions) to invite support for the omnibus law.

Propaganda by spreading multiple posts that benefit the workers if they accept the rules related to the omnibus law. One of them is the 'play' of the workers will get bonuses without mentioning the difficult terms of the bonus and the amount of bonuses. The omnibus law is also said to create jobs by attracting investment without mentioning that the articles contain the convenience of layoffs.

Deputy Chairperson of the DPP Confederation of All Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) Adlan Nawawi said the movement of workers and laborers must continue to be sustainable in order to answer the challenges of the times. When democracy has become a shared narrative, labor union and worker organizations need internal strengthening which is specifically able to develop quality and capacity as well as networks of worker organizations to develop better.

Nawawi added that the resistance to power could no longer be interpreted as it used to be. Because current power is no longer completely immune from criticism and supervision. They are even many born from the womb of labor organizations and workers, or at least, are resistance ideologists who jointly voice injustice and oppose the arbitrariness of past power. Nawawi asked all workers who are in parliament or government to develop better so that they can freely voice the anxiety experienced by the workers.

"The existence of representatives of workers and workers in parliament and in government needs to be developed in order to be able to speak more freely and be heard loudly in the public's ears. Including making political parties that exist today as struggle partners in order to voice the concerns and anxiety of workers and workers," he said through a written message.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Political Division of the Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KPBI) Jumisih admitted that currently some young people are reluctant to be bound by an organization. However, the resistance in voicing workers' concerns does not have to be the same and uniform. According to Jumisih, the difference between the resistance and the different generations actually provides the color and expansion of the face of a resistance.

"Not all young people want to be under one flag. Because they (young people) today are more familiar with digital. They are faster to get information and more flexible. This is what makes them reluctant to be bound by organizational structures like our previous generation," said Jumisih in a written message.

The resistance movement from workers as one of the great powers has shifted to the digital world. The solidarity movement based on the same fate and struggle of the workers is now enough by simply pressing the 'retweet' button. They didn't need to take action by going down to establish a street parliament in the hot sun. As if they wanted to say we didn't need to join the demonstration but we were hurt too.

Social media has become an important realm to influence the opinion of floating masses. In the United States in the 2016 elections yesterday, a group of Reddit accounts (Fortunately Kaskus) bravely discussed actual and sensitive issues in Uncle Sam's country. And interestingly, the accounts were run from Russia and there are more than 100 fake news websites about the United States produced from Macedonia.

Female activists who wear this hijab add to today's young people if they feel uneasy they immediately move. Their movements can be through social media and sometimes take action with a more senior (older) generation of workers. "What's important is awareness. They feel restless and moving. Sometimes through social media, sometimes they take action. But there are also those who are not aware, and that's where education is important," he said.