BANDUNG – Jeroen Johan K. Roskams, Asia Desk Officer for ACV International Belgium, attended the opening of the 7th Congress of the Federation of Forestry, General Industry, Woodworking, Agriculture, and Plantation Trade Unions of the All Indonesian Trade Union Confederation (F-Hukatan KSBSI) in Bandung on Wednesday (10/15/2025).
On the occasion, Jeroen expressed his gratitude for the invitation to attend the F-Hukatan Congress. He also wished the congress a happy and successful outcome for the organization.
“ACV International has been a strategic partner of KSBSI for the past 30 years, even since the founding of KSBSI, and F-Hukatan is also a member of it,” said Jeroen.
He expressed his pleasure at attending the F-Hukatan Congress, which took place on the sidelines of ACV’s Indonesian program, which previously held a workshop on WSM and ACV International program planning in Bali last week.
“It’s important to be present at this event, because we’re not just discussing the sustainability of cooperation and strengthening collaboration, considering that in the future we will face many issues related to global economic dynamics, especially in Europe,” explained Jeroen.
As is well known, the global issue of a weak global economy has weakened international organizations, such as the ILO and the UN, which are currently being challenged to become more independent.
Jeroen reiterated that ACV International’s commitment to supporting labor unions will continue through various efforts, despite the global economic downturn.
“The European financial crisis will impact finances. We’re talking about sustainability, and that will be a problem due to budget cuts. So, it’s our struggle in Europe right now to continue supporting labor unions,” said Jeroen.
Jeroen stated that recently, labor unions in Europe also held large-scale demonstrations demanding reductions in social security benefits. This is what makes the situation even more difficult. On the one hand, we support the KSBSI (Indonesian Worker Social Security Association) in fighting for social security protection, while in Belgium, social security reductions are taking place.
Nevertheless, AVC International, KSBSI, and Hukatan remain committed to fighting for decent work for workers, especially in multinational companies.
“Because I’m sure Hukatan is well aware of the unfulfilled rights in the palm oil sector, and this needs to be addressed, ACV International will also collaborate more with other international labor organizations,” Jeroen explained.
In its next program, ACV will focus on organizational strengthening, finance, freedom of association, decent work, living wages, Just Transition, social dialogue, and occupational health and safety in the workplace. (RED/handi)
