'Higher-ranked workers involved in labor dispute'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Employees in labor disputes this year were not
\ncommon factory workers but higher level employees, a lawyer said
\nlast week.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Legal Aid Institute's (LBH) Apong Herlina said
\nemployees in higher positions had sought legal advice on labor
\ndisputes.<\/p>\n
Apong, who heads the institute's labor division, was among
\nlawyers presenting their end-of-year reports.<\/p>\n
She said in the past no middle level workers sought legal aid
\nover labor disputes.<\/p>\n
Apong said five factories' human resource managers sought
\nlegal aid from LBH.<\/p>\n
She would not name them.<\/p>\n
Apong said at least 10 union executives from various Jakarta
\nfactories asked LBH to represent them at the Ministry of
\nManpower's arbitration body.<\/p>\n
Apong also said many companies still refused to comply with
\narbitration body rulings which favored workers. It was been
\ndifficult to get managements to abide by rulings, even with the
\nhelp of district courts, the end-of-year report said.<\/p>\n
The body's rulings are not legally binding and employees must
\ngo to a district court if management does not comply.<\/p>\n
The institute's director, Luhut M.P. Pangaribuan, said this
\nwas part of the larger phenomena of people not trusting the legal
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
The system \"has too often been manipulated to suit the
\ninterests of those in power,\" Luhut said.<\/p>\n
The report cited the case of PT Libra Utama Intiwood, a
\nprivate plywood production firm, which did not comply with the
\nruling of the arbitration body's city branch. Apong said
\nmanagement dismissed workers without severance pay and told
\nworkers the company was bankrupt. In fact, the firm moved to
\nanother area and wanted to recruit new workers, she said.<\/p>\n
When workers asked the North Jakarta District Court to
\nintervene the company agreed to pay severance pay.<\/p>\n
Apong also referred to the HongkongBank case.<\/p>\n
The Bank got the arbitration body's permission to dismiss 11
\nunion executives. The ruling said the executives instigated an
\nillegal strike involving 189 employees in April.<\/p>\n
In response the Federation of the All Indonesian Workers Union
\n(FSPSI) called for a boycott of the bank last month. An
\ninternational commercial employees trade union, the Singapore-
\nbased Apro-FIET, launched a solidarity campaign.<\/p>\n
Lawyers had said labor law prohibited the dismissal of
\nemployees in relation to union activities or employees who sat on
\nnegotiating teams between workers and management.<\/p>\n
She said company refusals to comply with the body's rulings
\nwere increasing but she did not give figures. (07)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/higher-ranked-workers-involved-in-labor-dispute-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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