"FPBI AGAINST FORCED RETRENCHMENT BY ARNOTT'S INDONESIA (INC)", 26 May 2018

Arnott’s Indonesia is a wholly owned subsidiary of US food and beverage multinational, Campbell Soup Company...employs 1200 workers, among them 500-600 workers are contractual.

...[T]he unions at PT Arnots Indonesia, Indonesian Labor Struggle Federation (Federasi Perjuangan Buruh Indonesia/ FPBI) along with FPBI,  SPMAI, and KSPSI, received an invitation from the management to attend a meeting.... 

The management told the unions that the company is downsizing its workers because of declining in sales...

...FPBI, affiliates of KPBI, rejected the downsizing plan and refused to sign the meeting notes.... The management announced voluntary resignation for the permanent workers.

...[T]he company prevented the union officials from FPBI to enter the factory. The unions responded to it by launching a spontaneous demonstration, forming a picket line in front of the factory. ...Declining in sales is only a cover to sack workers.

...[T]he downsizing due to declining in sales contradicts with the memo posted by the management announcing that the company will recruit 200 people. .

..[A]bout 300 workers have been fired, including the leaders of the unions. ...[T]he company is trying to retrench workers by PDS or voluntary resignation mechanism. However, the term ‘voluntary’ is being used only to cover the retrenchment because there are indications of coercion done by the company.