Employees of Taman Mini go on strike over bonus<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Some 800 employees of the 900-strong workforce
\nof Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (the Beautiful Indonesia in
\nMiniature Park) in East Jakarta went on strike on Sunday to press
\ntheir demands for a raise in their annual Idul Fitri allowance.<\/p>\n
The protest which started at around 8 a.m. took place in front
\nof the park's management office, leaving dozens of puzzled
\nvisitors stranded in queues at the entrance gates, which were
\nclosed by the strikers.<\/p>\n
Some of the visitors decided to cancel their weekend
\nrecreation plan and turned their cars round to leave the vast
\nentertainment and recreation park, which was built on the
\ninitiative of late former first lady Tien Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The frustrated visitors included families from other
\nprovinces, such as Central Java.<\/p>\n
Deden, one of the park's security guards, related that he had
\nmet an elderly couple along with their grandchildren from the
\nCentral Java capital of Semarang who had to leave the compound in
\nconfusion about the closure of the gates on such a busy Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"When I closed the gates this morning, the couple asked me
\nwhat was wrong and they urged me to explain as they had to
\nexplain in turn to their grandchildren why they couldn't enter
\nthe park,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Attired in their light blue uniforms, the on-strike employees
\nunfurled banners that read -- among other things: \"Think of our
\nfate\" and \"Please help us, Boss!\"<\/p>\n
At about midday the employees stopped their peaceful three-
\nhour strike after the management of the park promised to further
\ndiscuss their demands with executives of the Harapan Kita
\nFoundation that run the park; these include former president
\nSoeharto.<\/p>\n
According to the workers, they initially planned to go on
\nstrike for a full week beginning Sunday unless the management met
\ntheir demands.<\/p>\n
\"We today decided to close the entrance gates as we were
\nafraid of people who wanted to take advantage during our stoppage
\ndue to the lack of security,\" Joko Widodo, who represented the
\nemployees, told media at the site.<\/p>\n
The protesting employees agreed to disperse and resume work
\nafter some of their representatives were invited for a dialog by
\nthe deputy general manager of the park.<\/p>\n
According to Joko, the Taman Mini employees wanted a
\nsignificant increase in their annual Idul Fitri allowance,
\nlocally called THR, this year because all of them have received
\nan unchanged Rp 150,000 since 1980.<\/p>\n
\"The management should also understand that all prices these
\ndays have gone up,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The employees did not specify any amount for the raise in
\ntheir allowance this year as they said they also fully understood
\nabout the significant drop in the park's income.<\/p>\n
They only referred to the Minister of Manpower's decree No.
\n4\/1994, which states that employers should provide Idul Fitri
\nallowances to their workers which are equal to the employees'
\nmonthly salary.<\/p>\n
\"Since the regulation was enacted, we have never protested for
\nany hike at all,\" Joko added.<\/p>\n
Separately, the park's spokesman Dandoel Hardoyono said he
\npromised to submit the employees' demands to the executives of
\nthe foundation.<\/p>\n
\"I understand why they have to hold a protest but we ask them
\nto resume work as their demands will be submitted to the Harapan
\nKita Foundation's chairman and its other executives,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Dandoel also said that in general the protest went peacefully
\nand the protesters had evidently notified local police and asked
\nfor security back up.<\/p>\n
Located on a 150-hectare plot, Taman Mini is run by a
\nmanagement under the Harapan Kita Foundation, which is chaired by
\nformer president Soeharto.<\/p>\n
Dubbed one of the country's assets, the park sparked
\ncontroversy during its development in the mid 70s. Many still
\nbelieve that the park was a private property of Soeharto's
\nfamily.<\/p>\n
The park usually reached its business peak on holidays with
\nvisitors from a variety of places who include foreign tourists.<\/p>\n
On the first day of 1998, for instance, the park recorded
\n80,000 visitors. (emf)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/employees-of-taman-mini-go-on-strike-over-bonus-1447893297",
"image": ""
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