Early Years of Serikat Buruh Kereta Api (Railway Workers Union, SBKA): Formation and Orientation

Abstract

This essay describes the formation of Serikat Buruh Kereta Api (Railway Workers Union, SBKA) and its early orientation during the Indonesian revolution period of 1945-1950. SBKA originated from workers committees formed by groups of labour with nationalistic enthusiasm in order to secure the take-over process for independence. Later this committee was transformed into a union in response to government policies. Based on this description, this essay shows how the formation of unions at that period was primarily shaped by nationalism and was in dialectic interaction with the new Indonesian state, but had few direct references to its historical legacy from unionism of the colonial period.