Job seekers 'must be compensated'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A lawyer and a city councilor urged the Ministry
\nof Home Affairs or the city administration on Friday to pay
\ncompensation to hundreds of job seekers who were misled by a
\nministry positions vacant advertisement.<\/p>\n
Apong Herlina, chairwoman of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute,
\nand Sylviana Murni, a member of City Council Commission A for
\nadministrative affairs, said that as most applicants had spent at
\nleast Rp 10,000 (90 U.S. cents) to complete the requirements and
\nextra on transportation, they deserved financial compensation.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, about 150 applicants arrived at the city
\nadministration office only to find they had been misled by a
\nnewspaper advertisement placed by the Ministry of Home Affairs on
\nSept. 12 and a ministry circular.<\/p>\n
According to the ad and circular, the ministry was to recruit
\n7,204 people to work in both central government and local
\nadministrations. The ad stated that the Jakarta administration
\nalone would recruit 318 people and applications should be
\nsubmitted on Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n
Notices posted at City Hall stating that there was no plan to
\nrecruit staff at the administration disappointed them.<\/p>\n
Apong said the job seekers had a right to expect not to be
\nfooled by the government. \"They deserve compensation,\" she said,
\nadding that the incident showed a lack of coordination between
\nthe ministry and the administration.<\/p>\n
Apong said either the administration or the ministry should
\nrelease a statement explaining the incident.<\/p>\n
She said she could not justify the ministry's or
\nadministration's actions, saying \"this incident increases
\npeople's distrust of the authority. If an official statement is
\nmisleading, which parties they should trust then?\" she said.<\/p>\n
Councilor Sylviana shared Apong's views, agreeing that the
\ncase had shown a lack of coordination between the ministry and
\nthe administration.<\/p>\n
She said that after the matter was cleared up, one of the two
\nparties should make a public apology through the media.<\/p>\n
Another 50 applicants turned up at the administration's
\npersonnel department on Friday on the off chance that there were
\njobs available.<\/p>\n
Some of them said they did not believe the administration had
\nno plans to recruit staff.<\/p>\n
\"I still believe the ministry circular as I think it is
\nofficial,\" said Vonny, one applicant. \"How can an official
\nministry letter be erroneous?\"<\/p>\n
Even though a large \"no vacancy\" notice was visible at the
\noffice, applicants still waited for official statements to be
\nreleased by the city administration. But no city official had met
\nwith them by midday.<\/p>\n
One of the office's security guards said his superior did not
\nwant to meet them as a notice was enough. \"I've tried to ask him
\nto calm them down and ask them to go home, but he refused to do
\nso,\" the guard, who asked not to be named, said.<\/p>\n
\"I just want to check whether the office has received my
\napplication letter just so I can feel satisfied. If it is just to
\nbe destroyed later, it doesn't matter,\" said another applicant,
\nMia. (ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/job-seekers-must-be-compensated-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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