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Labor Law and Legislation in the Netherlands Indies*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2011

A. Arthur Schiller
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Extract

As in the world at large, so in the Netherlands Indies, labor law as such is a relatively modern development. Within the last score of years the legislative arm of the Indies government has attempted to satisfy the labor demands of an ever-expanding agricultural, commercial and industrial economy, protecting at the same time the conflicting interests of the diverse elements of the population. The result has been a growth from simple contract law to a complexity of provisions respecting labor relations that were only beginning to be fashioned into a unified whole at the time of the Japanese invasion. The future labor law will undoubtedly be built upon this foundation. Hence an exposition of the recent past should prove the best approach to postwar needs in the field of labor.

Type
Articles
Information
The Journal of Asian Studies , Volume 5 , Issue 2 , February 1946 , pp. 176 - 188
Copyright
Copyright © The Association for Asian Studies, Inc. 1946

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References

1 The Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek), along with the other Indies codes and the significant legislative enactments are to be found in Engelbrecht, De Nederlandsch-lndische vietboeken … ende belangrijkste in Ncderlandsch-Indii geldende algemecne verordeningen en besluiten (1939ed.) (Hereafter referred to as Engelbrecht.). Arts. 1601–03 old B. W., Engelbrecht, p. 392, provide (a) that services may be let for a particular time or job, (b) that the amount and time of payment of wages be promised by oath by the employer, (c) that servants and workers may not leave and may not be dismissed without good cause, and if they leave, they forfeit claim to money earned, and if dismissed are entitled to six weeks compensation.

2 Arts. 1600–1603zB. W., Engelbrecht, pp. 394–411.

3 Cf. generally, Klein, Bijdrage tot de studie van het intergentiel privaatrecht (1933), pp. 175 ff.; Kollewijn, 139 T (1934) 19–38; Buddingh de Voogt, 141 T (1935), pp. 555–79; Kollewijn, 151 T (1940) 551, at pp. 569 ff.; van Tetering, 154 T (1941), pp. 439–57

4 Art. VIA, paragraph 1, of S. 1926–335, Engclbrecht, p. 393.

5 Tabulation of cases from 1932 to 1939 by v. Tetcring, 154 T (1941) 439, at pp. 454 ff.; see also Kollewijn, 139 T (1934) 789, at 795 ff.

6 Law of Sept. 26, 1941, effective Nov. 1, 1941, S. 1941–396.

7 The most recent and comprehensive treatment of the position of non-Europesin workers is by van Tetering, 154 T (1941), pp. 439 ff.

8 S. 1931–367, Engelbrecht, p. 100.

9 Vreede, De Indischc regeling van de arbcidsovcrecnkomst (1927–33), 2 vols.; Hart, Het koninklijk besluit tot wettelijke regeling van het arbeidscontract in Nederlandsch-Indië (1927); Buddingh de Voogt, 142 T (1935), pp. 553–96.

10 The two are defined in arts. 1601a and 1601b B. W., Engelbrecht, p. 394. The guaranty of a musician to take part in the furnishing of musical performances by the orchestra leader for a hotel constitutes a labor contract between the musician and the orchestra leader, 149 T 815; but an agreement whereby an orchestra leader agrees to furnish dance music for the owner of a dance hall is not a labor contract, 150 T 410.

11 S. 1940–240.

12 Art. 1603i B. W., S. 1926–337, was superseded by the emergency law S. 1932–98, which was annually renewed, until in 1939, the article itself was amended by S. 1939–546.

13 S. 1932–97, Engelbrecht, pp. 1789 ff.

14 S. 1939–545.

15 S. 1937–681, Engelbrecht, pp. 1792 ff.

16 S. 1941–396.

17 S. 1921–334; cf. De Meyere, “De assistentenregeling,” in Juri sacrum (1933), pp. 118–51.

18 S. 1938–98, Engelbrecht, pp. 1782 ff. Cf. van Tetering, 148 T (1938), pp. 575–89; Haisma Rahder, 148 T (1938), pp. 921–26.

19 S. 1880–133.

20 Among others, A. D. A. de Kat Angelino, Colonial policy (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1931), vol. 2, pp. 492–578; Furnivall, Netherlands India (1939), pp. 348–56; Vandenbosch, The Dutch East Indies (3rd ed., 2nd printing, 1944), pp. 284–92. Extensive bibliography in the Dutch edition of de Kat Angelino, Staathmdig beleid en bestuurszorg in Nederlandsch-Indië (1930) deel 2, pp. 656–60.

21 S. 1911–540, Engelbrecht, pp. 1807 ff.

22 S. 1931–94, Engelbrecht, pp. 1795 ff.

23 S. 1941–514; the enactments charging officials of the Labor Office with the investigation of criminal acts of contract coolies were also repealed.

24 Cf. the comment of the reviewer of recent Netherlands works on trade union contracts. F. W. W(ertheim), 151 T (1940), pp. 95 ff. A brief search through the leading works on the Netherlands “collective” labor contracts revealed no discussion of Indies problems.