Court upholds staff dismissal<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Jakarta Administrative High Court upheld on
\nWednesday a decision by the Indonesian-Hong Kong textile joint
\nventure PT Tyfountex Indonesia, based in Surakarta, Central Java,
\nto dismiss 1,772 of its 8,000 workers.<\/p>\n
Presiding judge Marcus Lande said that the court was also
\nordering the Labor Disputes Arbitration Board at the Ministry of
\nManpower to issue a new decree which approved the dismissal.<\/p>\n
\"The company has effected the dismissals in line with the
\nexisting manpower regulations,\" Lande said.<\/p>\n
He said that the court's decision was made in response to a
\nlawsuit filed by the company in October in which the firm asked
\nthe court to reject the arbitration board's decision, which
\nordered the company to reemploy the dismissed workers.<\/p>\n
He said the dispute started with refusal by a worker,
\nidentified as Abdul Latief, and his friends to resume work after
\nconducting a mass demonstration to demand an increase in their
\nwages in July last year.<\/p>\n
Even though the management had agreed to increase monthly
\nwages to an average of Rp 146,300 a month, compared to the
\nmandated minimum pay of Rp 130,000, as of August, the workers
\nstill rejected it.<\/p>\n
The protracted labor dispute culminated in a massive
\ndemonstration by around 700 workers at the manpower ministry here
\nfor five days in September.<\/p>\n
Tyfountex, an integrated textile company which started
\noperating in Surakarta in 1974, exports most of its fabrics and
\ngarments. Its annual export revenue is around US$60 million.<\/p>\n
The company's lawyer, Jack R. Sidabutar, said the court's
\ndecision was unexceptionable and there was no surprise.<\/p>\n
\"We have asked the workers to resume work but they refused. We
\nhave had a headache about it,\" Jack said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the workers' lawyer Christina Rini from the Jakarta
\nLegal Aid Institute and arbitration board's lawyer Joko Mursito
\nhave decided to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Several workers were visibly upset with the decision, saying
\nthat the court had only considered the company's lawsuit without
\ntaking into consideration the workers' testimonies. (jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/court-upholds-staff-dismissal-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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