×
Jokowi: Dignity and a fair wage for Jakarta's binmen
Wilbur R.
started this petition to
Joko Widodo, Governor of Jakarta
My name is Wilbur Ramirez. I am a 44 year old, dust truck driver in London. I was chosen by the BBC to take part in the series ‘Toughest Place to be a....’,
and travelled to Jakarta, Indonesia to stay and work with an Indonesian dustman and his family.
I was appalled to see the huge divide between rich and poor in this mega-city and was affected immensely by seeing how the binmen of Jakarta were treated. Most binmen of the Guntar District where I stayed, did their round in bare feet. They also had to pull along their heavy dust carts and the rubbish collected had to be dumped where they lived. In effect they lived beside a rubbish dump. I was horrified to discover on my first day that the rubbish dumped where they lived had not been cleared by the local government for 5 years.
If enough of us speak out against this now, we could embarrass the authorities and make them realise they must do something fast to ensure basic equipment, safety and a decent wage for these men.
These people are forced to live in squalor, as if they had been forgotten. Not only did they not receive a proper wage, but in addition to this the government did not in any way recognise that these men needed the correct equipment, such as a uniform or even boots. After they have paid rent they barely have enough money left to feed their families. They are unable to afford healthcare or education. The children will be forever locked in a cycle that perhaps only education can improve. These children living in squalor, are underfed and unable to be immunised against infectious diseases.
On my return I vowed to change this situation, to do as much as I could to improve the lives of these amazing, hardworking people. I have found out this is a country which is the 16th biggest economy in he world (and that’s bigger than Australia, South Africa and Holland). The very rich are getting much richer, while 60 per cent of the labour force don’t have real jobs, or jobs with an actual wage or employment rights. The government relies on about 3,000 impoverished binmen living in substandard conditions to clear up the rubbish on the streets. Binmen actually die from diseases and injuries sustained during their work.
I want to use the film I made about this that is going out on the BBC as a springboard for action. We must speak out against this now and make the government ensure basic equipment, safety and a decent wage for these men. Let's let them, and particularly the new Governor of the city, Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, know these men they thought were invisible have friends across the world who are watching and want action.
Sign the petition on the right -- let's help stop this abuse , now, and see that Indonesia is no longer the toughest place to be a binman.
I was appalled to see the huge divide between rich and poor in this mega-city and was affected immensely by seeing how the binmen of Jakarta were treated. Most binmen of the Guntar District where I stayed, did their round in bare feet. They also had to pull along their heavy dust carts and the rubbish collected had to be dumped where they lived. In effect they lived beside a rubbish dump. I was horrified to discover on my first day that the rubbish dumped where they lived had not been cleared by the local government for 5 years.
If enough of us speak out against this now, we could embarrass the authorities and make them realise they must do something fast to ensure basic equipment, safety and a decent wage for these men.
These people are forced to live in squalor, as if they had been forgotten. Not only did they not receive a proper wage, but in addition to this the government did not in any way recognise that these men needed the correct equipment, such as a uniform or even boots. After they have paid rent they barely have enough money left to feed their families. They are unable to afford healthcare or education. The children will be forever locked in a cycle that perhaps only education can improve. These children living in squalor, are underfed and unable to be immunised against infectious diseases.
On my return I vowed to change this situation, to do as much as I could to improve the lives of these amazing, hardworking people. I have found out this is a country which is the 16th biggest economy in he world (and that’s bigger than Australia, South Africa and Holland). The very rich are getting much richer, while 60 per cent of the labour force don’t have real jobs, or jobs with an actual wage or employment rights. The government relies on about 3,000 impoverished binmen living in substandard conditions to clear up the rubbish on the streets. Binmen actually die from diseases and injuries sustained during their work.
I want to use the film I made about this that is going out on the BBC as a springboard for action. We must speak out against this now and make the government ensure basic equipment, safety and a decent wage for these men. Let's let them, and particularly the new Governor of the city, Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo, know these men they thought were invisible have friends across the world who are watching and want action.
Sign the petition on the right -- let's help stop this abuse , now, and see that Indonesia is no longer the toughest place to be a binman.
Posted
(Updated )
Report this as inappropriate
There was an error when submitting your files and/or report.