300 striking workers demand a better working environment<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Around 300 workers from a textile factory in the
\nPulo Gadung industrial area, East Jakarta, picketed the Ministry
\nof Manpower yesterday to bring attention to what they call bad
\nconditions and compensation at their place of work.<\/p>\n
The workers, who were thronged in front of the ministry since
\nearly morning in peaceful protest, asked to meet with Minister of
\nManpower Abdul Latief, but were driven by dozens of police and
\nmilitary officers to a meeting room for security reasons.<\/p>\n
They called on the government to force their employer to
\ncomply with the existing labor regulations and to review the wage
\nsystem at their company.<\/p>\n
Several workers who were asked to represent their fellows at a
\nmeeting with officials of the ministry told The Jakarta Post that
\nthey had been forced to take their case to the minister after a
\nfive day strike last month ended without progress.<\/p>\n
\"We have never received transportation and meal allowances
\nwhile on duty. We are not even allowed to take a break, and we
\nare against the wage system applied by the company's management,\"
\nsaid Sunardi, 36, who has been working for 15 years in the
\nfactory's spinning division.<\/p>\n
He said each worker receives a meager Rp 3,800 per day. He
\nsaid that the management pays the same wage to its workers
\nregardless of whether they are on the day, afternoon or night
\nshift.<\/p>\n
Inem, a 28-year old woman, said that the management also gives
\nIdul Fitri bonuses of the same amount to all workers irrespective
\nof the length of time they have been working.<\/p>\n
\"According to general practice, workers who have been working
\nfor a long time should receive a higher annual bonus than those
\nwho are newly recruited,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Sugiarti, 32, a woman who has been employed for 14 years in
\nthe dyeing division, blamed the trade union at the company for
\nignoring the interest of its member workers.<\/p>\n
\"Muchtar, chairman of the All Indonesian Workers Union unit in
\nthe factory, should have played a leading role in organizing the
\nstrike. Instead, he did not even take part,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She said she suspects that Muchtar and several other staff
\nmembers of the union are under pressure from the management not
\nto join the strike.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's meeting between the workers' representatives and
\nthe ministry's officials did not yield any results, as the chief
\nof the East Jakarta manpower office was not present.<\/p>\n
Widodo, one of the ministry's officials who received the
\nworkers' representatives, said the meeting was put off until
\ntoday. But he promised that a fact-finding team from the ministry
\nwill be sent to the factory soon to check the truth of the
\nallegations made by the workers.(rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/300-striking-workers-demand-a-better-working-environment-1447899208",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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