''Sarbuksi'', short for ''Sarekat Buruh Kehutanan Seluruh Indonesia'' ('All Indonesia Forest Workers Union'), was a

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

of forest workers in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. Sarbuksi was affiliated to the trade union centre

SOBSI The Central All-Indonesian Workers Organization () was the largest trade union federation in Indonesia.Glassburner, Bruce. The Economy of Indonesia: Selected Readings'. Jakarta: Equinox Pub, 2007. p. 201 Founded during the period of the Indonesian ...

, which was linked to the

Communist Party of Indonesia The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in the Dutch East Indies and later Indonesia. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its Indo ...

. During its existence, Sarbuksi was highly influential in regards to forestry policies in Indonesia. As of January 1962, Sarbuksi claimed a membership of a quarter million.Hindley, Donald.
The Communist Party of Indonesia, 1951-1963
'. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1964. p. 141 The union was founded in

Madiun Madiun () is a city in the western part of East Java, Indonesia, known for its agricultural center. The city has been administratively separate from the surrounding Madiun Regency since the formation of the two bodies in 1950, but the city remain ...

in November 1945, with the name ''Sarekat Buruh Kehutanan'' ('Forest Workers Union', SBK). SBK did however, not organize forest labourers as such. By then end of the

Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...

, the orientation of the union had changed towards leftist positions. The organization adopted the name Sarbuksi and began mass recruitment of forest labourers.Peluso, Nancy L.
Rich Forests, Poor People: Resource Control and Resistance in Java
'. Berkeley .a. Univ. of California Press, 1992. pp. 106-107 When the Forestry Service began mass eviction of peasant squatters with forest areas, Sarbuksi and the

Peasants Front of Indonesia Peasants Front of Indonesia () was a peasant mass organisation connected to the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). BTI was founded 25 November 1945. The previous peasant organisation of PKI had been the Peasants Union (''Serikat Tani'') formed i ...

(BTI) mobilized joint resistance. Sarbuksi demanded that peasants be given land rights to forest areas they inhabited. Moreover, the union fought for higher wages for junior forestry officials. Non-revolutionary elements split off from Sarbuksi, forming a new union with the old name SBK. As response to the growth of Sarbuksi, other forest workers union were formed. One such union was ''

Sarekat Buruh Kehutanan Islam ''Sarekat Buruh Kehutanan Islam'' ('Islamic Forest Workers Union', abbreviated SBKI) was a trade union of forest workers in Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the In ...

'' (SBKI). Moreover, a sector in the Forestry Service, which was opposed to Sarbuksi and the Communist Party, began pressing for legal action against land squatters. As of 1964 the anti-Sarbuksi sector had begun to organize trials, and undocumented settlements in forest areas were demolished by police forces soon after. Sarbuksi mobilized protests against this development.Peluso, Nancy L.
Rich Forests, Poor People: Resource Control and Resistance in Java
'. Berkeley .a. Univ. of California Press, 1992. pp. 120-121 Following the 1965 coup d'état, many Sarbuksi members were killed or imprisoned in camps. Surviving former Sarbuksi members were fired from their jobs at the Forestry Service. The stigma of having been associated with Sarbuksi was often passed on to children of former Sarbuksi members as well, who were met by suspicion in their communities. Sarbuksi was formally banned on 12 March 1966.Winarno, Ateng.
Kamus singkatan dan akronim: baru dan lama
'. Yogyakarta: Penerbit Kanisius, 1990. p. 578

References

{{Authority control Central All-Indonesian Workers Organization Trade unions established in 1945 Trade unions disestablished in 1966 Agriculture and forestry trade unions Forestry in Indonesia 1966 disestablishments in Indonesia Agricultural organizations based in Indonesia