TESTIMONY

My name is Elis N. Karwati, I work at PT. Nirwana which is located at Solokan Jeruk. I work at PT. Nirwana as Sewing administration, PT. Nirwana has garment production with many buyers coming from other countries, I has worked for 4 years as a contract worker. I am married and have 2 child. My salary in this factory is Rp. 3,100,000 rupiah per month or USD 220, and I get no other benefits, just get a holiday allowance only. Then if I do not go to work because of permission or illness, the company cut my daily wage Rp. 100,000 rupiah/day or USD 7. I was only given 4 days off in one month, no maternity leave, and I was contracted every 1 year.

I work 8 hours every day from Monday to Saturday, but many times I work over time, some time I work 12 hours, and no overtime pay, I am working in this factory because I want to help my family income, because my husband working as construction worker and the salary is not enough to all needs in my family. But in the factory also I am not get all my right, only my salary without other benefits.

In 2020, more than 1000 workers and majority is womans in PT. Nirwana have spontaneous protest, all workers go to outside factory including me, because we are no longer strong with working conditions whose rules are arbitrary, and many workers right are not granted. During this time, we are contacted PPMP-YCW Indonesia to company us to bring our aspiration and demand to the factory. We have many times meeting and discussion with PPMP-YCW Indonesia, and the leader in YCW give us direction and awareness how to take our demands to the factory, because the spontaneous protest is not good, we need the protest with full awareness from all workers. So since we joint with the YCW, we create formation and list members, and in this time we have 9 persons active and more than 200 workers joint with us, to continue our struggle.

We have plan to continue our protest together with PPMP, we send bipartite letter to the employer to have negotiation. The result of this negotiation, the employer promise to implemented our demand, but after two month not implemented again the right to workers, and the employer also dismiss all leader with the reason is end of contract, because of this we bring this case to labour department, and we also many times have protest or demonstration in front of factory. The pandemic covid-19 give us more challenges, because some time is difficult for us to organize all team or workers to sit together, and how many times we have mass action disbandment from the police.

Finally in 2021 on June, after we reported all company violations to the labour department and took action in front of the factory, finally the company wanted to exercise all workers right in accordance with the law (basic wages, maternity leave, over wage, and etc), but the company also dismissed worker representatives on the reason that the contract work already finish, including me.

So, after I am dismiss from the company, I am now still joint in the YCW as a leader, and now I am also organize young woman student and other workers in different factory.