''Serbuni'', short for ''Serikat Buruh Unilever Indonesia'' ('Unilever Workers Union of Indonesia'), was a

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits (s ...

of workers at the factories of

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...

. During the late 1950s and early 1960s, Serbuni was the largest of the four trade unions at the Unilever factories in the country. Serbuni was affiliated to the trade union centre

SOBSI The ''All-Indonesian Federation of Workers Organisations ( id, Sentral Organisasi Buruh Seluruh Indonesia (SOBSI)) was the largest trade union federation in Indonesia.Glassburner, Bruce. The Economy of Indonesia: Selected Readings'. Jakarta: Equi ...

, which was linked to the

Communist Party of Indonesia The Communist Party of Indonesia (Indonesian: ''Partai Komunis Indonesia'', PKI) was a communist party in Indonesia during the mid-20th century. It was the largest non-ruling communist party in the world before its violent disbandment in 1965. ...

(PKI). Fieldhouse, David Kenneth.
Unilever overseas: the anatomy of a multinational 1895-1965
'. (Hoover Institution publications, 205). London: Croom Helm .a. 1978. pp. 306-308 K. Werdojo was the general secretary of Serbuni.
International Labor Directory and Handbook
'. New York, N.Y.: F. A. Praeger, 1950s. p. 7767 From 1956 onwards unions at the four Unilever factories in Indonesia (three in Jakarta, one in

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of East Java and the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern border of Java island, on the Mad ...

) became increasingly active, particularly Serbuni. The unions demands shares of the profits of the factories.Redfern, William A.
Sukarno's Guided Democracy and the Takeovers of Foreign Companies in Indonesia in the 1960s
' Serbuni initiated militant agitations at the time of the 1963/1964 '' Konfrontasi'', following similar attacks at the British Embassy and

Shell Oil Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...

installations. In December 1963 the organization began picketing Unilever factories. In the latter half of January 1964, the union tried to capture the Djakarta head office and factories of Unilever. On 18 January 1964 Serbuni seized control over the

Angke Tambora is a subdistrict of West Jakarta, Indonesia. Tambora Subdistrict is bounded by a railway to the west and to the north, Kali Krukut - Kali Besar canal to the east, and Duri Selatan Road to the south. The Roa Malaka Administrative Vil ...

factory in Djakarta. A statement issued by Serbuni claimed that the occupation was a reaction to ''Konfrontasi'', British imperialism, seizure of two Hajj ships and statements made by president

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader ...

. The unionists were however expelled by local police. The union tried to occupy the Colibri factory in Surabaya on 25 January 1964, but were evicted by police. At Angke a joint supervisory committee with Serbuni representation was instituted by the police, whilst at Colibri control was handed back to the Unilever management.

David Kenneth Fieldhouse David Kenneth Fieldhouse, FBA (7 June 1925 – 28 October 2018) was an English historian of the British Empire who between 1981 and 1992 held the Vere Harmsworth Professorship of Imperial and Naval History at the University of Cambridge. Arguabl ...

argues that Serbuni did not formally seize control of the Unilever factories, as foreign enterprises taken over by unions were nationalized by presidential decree. In the nationalized industries independent unions were banned, a move that would have threatened the position of Serbuni. Thus Fieldhouse states that Serbuni's actions at the time of ''Konfrontasi'' actually sought to prevent nationalization.

References

{{Authority control Central All-Indonesian Workers Organization Unilever 1966 disestablishments in Indonesia