Attack on independent unions at Coca-Cola in Indonesia continues with termination of union chairman

Management at Coca-Cola Indonesia continues to attack independent unions, with the full knowledge of The Coca-Cola Company and its regional bottler, Coca-Cola Amatil based in Australia.

In November 2016 workers at the Bawen bottling plant facility began to organize an independent union, the Serikat Buruh Mandiri Coca-Cola (SBMCC). The union was formally registered on 9 February, held its first general assembly on 18 February and elected Lutfi Arifiyanto as chairman. On 21 February management informed the newly elected chairman of his transfer from the Bawen plant to a sales office in Madiun, a distance of some 170 km.

With the support of the IUF and its members in Indonesia and around the world, Lutfi rejected the transfer as a violation of trade union rights which would prevent him from exercising his right to represent his union members. All attempts to find a solution consistent with these rights have been rejected by local management and by The Coca-Cola Company's bottler in Indonesia, Australia-based Coca-Cola Amatil.

On November 21, Lutfi was formally terminated.

Coca-Cola Amatil continues to attack and to undermine independent, democratic unions at Coca-Cola Indonesia.