20 dismissal cases still left unresolved in Batam<\/p>\n
BATAM, Riau (JP): At least 20 cases of more than 100 dismissed
\nworkers remain unsolved here due to mistaken implementation of
\nregional autonomy measures in Riau province, officials said on
\nFriday.<\/p>\n
M. Dermawan, secretary of the local chapter of the All-
\nIndonesia Workers Union Federation (FSPSI), told The Jakarta Post
\nthat cases that could not be settled through mediation should be
\nbrought to the provincial committee for settlement of labor
\ndisputes (P4D) but they could not be settled because the P4D had
\nbeen dissolved, following implementation of regional autonomy in
\nthe province in January.<\/p>\n
"We don't know why the P4D was dissolved, and the local
\nadministration never made an announcement about the dissolution,"
\nhe said, while stating that the dismissed workers had staged
\nprotests several times at the local manpower and transmigration
\nministry office, but to no avail.<\/p>\n
He said further that the FSPSI local chapter, which supervises
\n150,000 of around 350,000 workers employed at industrial zones in
\nthe island, would have to deal with many more unresolved
\ndismissal cases. He added that it is still handling around 200
\ndismissal cases being negotiated at the company level.<\/p>\n
"Many of the cases will certainly face a similar fate if they
\ncannot be resolved at the company (bipartite) level or at a
\ntripartite meeting between the workers, the employer and the
\ngovernment," he said.<\/p>\n
Sulaiman Yusuf, head of the local manpower and transmigration
\nministry office, confirmed that all cases which could not be
\nsettled at the bipartite and tripartite levels had been left
\nunresolved following dissolution of the P4D.<\/p>\n
"The provincial P4D has no longer been effective since the
\ndissolution of the provincial manpower and transmigration office,
\nfollowing the implementation of regional autonomy on Jan. 1,
\n2001," he said.<\/p>\n
Sulaiman said the dissolution of the P4D had a lot to do with
\nerroneous implementation of regional autonomy measures.<\/p>\n
He stated that the regional autonomy law requires that all
\nprovincial ministry offices be liquidated and replaced with new
\nones that have simple organizational networks, called dinas. He
\nsuggested, however, that this did not mean the P4D was also
\nliquidated.<\/p>\n
The P4D consists of ad hoc justices representing the workers,
\nthe employers and the local government. The 1957 law on the
\nsettlement of labor disputes that regulates the provincial and
\ncentral settlement committees (P4D and P4P) is still effective,
\nwhile the amendment bill that liquidates the P4D and P4P
\ninstitutions is being deliberated by the House of
\nRepresentatives.<\/p>\n
Separately, Hardi Yuliwan, chief of the local office of state-
\nowned PT Jamsostek, said the insurance firm would continue to
\ngive financial aid to dismissed workers in the island.<\/p>\n
"Besides paying the pension funds to the dismissed workers in
\naccordance with their contributions to the pension fund program,
\nJamsostek would also give one month's salary as financial aid to
\nhelp them seek other jobs," he said.<\/p>\n
Hardi applauded the awareness of local employers and foreign
\ninvestors in the island in participating in the social security
\nprograms.<\/p>\n
"The investors' awareness of the social security programs is
\nvery helpful in providing protection for workers in the
\nindustrial zone," he said.<\/p>\n
He said that of 1,200 companies employing almost 400,000
\nworkers in the island, more than 900 with 250,000 workers have
\nparticipated in the social security programs.<\/p>\n
He said that his office had collected Rp 23 billion for the
\nworkers' four welfare programs since January 2001 and aimed to
\ncollect around Rp 100 billion this year.<\/p>\n
The programs comprise health care, death insurance,
\noccupational accidents and pension funds. (rms)<\/p>",
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