Idul Fitri allowance compulsory, says Latief<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Manpower Minister Abdul Latief yesterday called
\non his subordinates to take stern action against companies which
\nfailed to pay their workers their Idul Fitri allowances.<\/p>\n
Workers deserve to be paid Idul Fitri allowances and the
\ncompanies have no reason to withhold it, Latief said here
\nyesterday during a ceremony to inaugurate Jack Iskandar Ratubagus
\nas new director general for labor placement. Jack replaced Abdul
\nRachim who went into his retirement age of 60.<\/p>\n
The law stipulates that owners of companies who do not pay
\ntheir workers their allowances face up to three years
\nimprisonment or fines of up to Rp 100,000 (US$45).<\/p>\n
Latief earlier said a postponement is only tolerable if the
\ncompany in question faces financial troubles. The company,
\nhowever, must report this to his office in order to obtain a
\nrespite, he said.<\/p>\n
The ministry will then send an audit team to the company to
\nstudy the case and to decide what steps should be taken -- either
\nto pay the allowance at a later date or pay half of the amount
\nimmediately.<\/p>\n
The minister earlier instructed companies to pay their workers
\ntheir Idul Fitri allowances on Feb. 6 at the latest.<\/p>\n
A more recent decision, however, allows companies to pay the
\nallowance one week before the Idul Fitri holiday, which falls on
\nFeb. 20.<\/p>\n
Kuradis Siregar, an official of the Jakarta office of the
\nManpower Ministry, told The Jakarta Post yesterday that past
\nexperience has shown that in many cases workers who received
\ntheir allowances too early displayed a decrease in productivity
\nwhile many of them did not even come to work.<\/p>\n
Strikes involving more than 2,000 workers last week affected
\nthree companies in Jakarta and Bekasi, 30 km East of here.<\/p>\n
Some 300 workers of PT Sinintama Garmentinto in West Jakarta,
\nabout 2,000 workers of PT Sushinindo Elok Sunshinindo Elok
\nCemerlang, a garment and shoe factory in North Jakarta, and an
\nundisclosed number of workers at PT Mulia Industrindo in Bekasi
\nwent on strike, demanding payment of their Idul Fitri allowances.<\/p>\n
The head of the West Jakarta office of the Ministry of
\nManpower, R.L. Sihite, told the Post yesterday that PT Sinintama
\nGarmentindo, the last company to comply, was expected today to
\npay its workers their allowances.<\/p>\n
He said his office has refused the company's request for a
\npostponement until Thursday, Feb 15. "They must pay it tomorrow
\nor we will file a lawsuit against them," Sihite said.<\/p>\n
The company's 300 workers had been on strike since last
\nThursday, demanding their Idul Fitri allowances and an increase
\nin their wages, which they said still averaged below the
\nofficially set regional minimum salary level.<\/p>\n
"The workers will start working again today after they have
\nbeen assured that they will get the allowances tomorrow," Sihite
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Officials said they were still studying the cases of the other
\ntwo strike affected companies. (03)<\/p>",
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