Cruise ship fires 103 Indonesian workers<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Holland American Line fired 103 Indonesians
\nworking on their MS Westerdam cruise Saturday for a strike they
\norganized in defense of their fellow countrymen who were facing
\ndismissal.<\/p>\n
One of the MS Westerdam crew members who spoke on condition of
\nanonymity told The Jakarta Post by telephone from Florida
\nyesterday that the Indonesians were deported on the same day.<\/p>\n
The strike was held in solidarity with five Indonesian crew
\nmembers following their dispute with the cruise's food manager,
\nRon van Vliet, he said.<\/p>\n
They not only went on strike but also staged a demonstration
\nwith posters condemning what they saw as the \"unfair treatment\"
\nof their five colleagues facing dismissal, he said.<\/p>\n
The action practically crippled the service on the cruise
\nwhich was heading for Florida-Sean Martin-Sean Thomas and Nasao
\nlast week, he said.<\/p>\n
\"Passengers were mad, smashing anything they could because no
\none served them on the cruise,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"As the cruise anchored in Florida at 4 p.m. on Saturday all
\n103 Indonesians were kicked off the ship and sent back to
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
He said that various Indonesians had worked with the company
\nfrom between one week and 18 years. They were recruited by the
\nJakarta-based Nitour Inc.<\/p>\n
Nitour Inc. general manager Iskandar, who happened to be in
\nFlorida on Saturday, was surprised to hear about the \"instant\"
\ndismissal and promised to look into the matter upon his arrival
\nin Jakarta, the source said.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Sailors Association in Florida could not do
\nanything to help the workers, he added.<\/p>\n
The jobless workers are scheduled to arrive at Cengkareng
\nInternational Airport this evening and plan to refer their case
\nto the House of Representatives (DPR).<\/p>\n
MS Westerdam, which has a capacity of up to 1,600 people,
\nemploys nearly 350 crew members from Indonesia. (02\/pan)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cruise-ship-fires-103-indonesian-workers-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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