From the Jakarta Post: The International Labor Organization (ILO) called on Wednesday for the National Police to refrain directly intervening in negotiations and disputes between workers and employers. The ILO's representative in Indonesia, Alan Boulton, said the police, who are supposed to undergoing internal reform, were expected to focus on maintaining order and upholding the law in industrial disputes. The world body and the United States government have been working together with the Indonesian government to provide the police with training on labor disputes. Boulton said the project, funded by the U.S., would support progress in workers' rights and the sort of police reform given the police's role in the new industrial relations environment in Indonesia. "However, it is not the role for which ABRI was often criticized in the past, where there was direct interference in negotiations and disputes between workers and employers," he said. Manpower minister Jacob Nuwa Wea agreed with Boyce, saying the project would contribute to an improved investment climate here. In comments that seemed to run against the whole purpose of the training, Jacob said the police should not hesitate to take firm against workers. "If they (workers) are out of order, it's OK for the police to slap them around them a little bit. We often slap our children at home if they are naughty, don't we?" he said. Meanwhile, National Police Deputy Chief Comr. Gen. Kadaryanto admitted that the police often sided with the employers when handling industrial disputes. ...Separately, lawyer and labor activist Surya Tjandra expressed fears that the project would only increase abuses by the police against protesting or striking workers. "In a situation where workers have no bargaining power, the police will continue to favor the employers," said Surya, a former director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute.