Kartika Plaza hotel closed for immediate renovation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The four-star Kartika Plaza hotel on Jl. Thamrin
\nin the heart of Jakarta has closed its doors for renovations.<\/p>\n
Hotel sources said yesterday the fate of the hotel's employees
\nwas still uncertain, including the separation pay to which they
\nare entitled in the case of their dismissal.<\/p>\n
The renovation work is planned for April next year and is
\nexpected to take three years to complete. The hotel's employees
\nhave reportedly been offered the option of staying for the
\nduration of the renovation or terminating their employment.<\/p>\n
Many employees have reportedly opted to leave and are
\ndemanding severance pay. For those employees wanting to remain,
\nthe conditions are still unclear, the sources said.<\/p>\n
\"We are waiting until our demands are met by the hotel's
\nmanagement board,\" said Yeti, the hotel's bar and restaurant
\ncashier. Her statement was supported by twenty other employees
\nwho were sitting idly in the lobby, watching television and
\nchatting.<\/p>\n
Five steps from the hotel's front door, a coffin was laid and
\ncovered with a green cloth bearing the words \"We want to be
\nburied here\". Various banners hanging from the walls aired the
\nemployees' demand for \"humane\" compensation.<\/p>\n
\"The renovation plan was announced by the new investor, PT
\nLuminari Prima, when it bought 60 percent of the hotel's equity
\nat the end of last year,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Kartika Plaza Hotel, owned by PT Wisma Kartika, belongs to the
\nArmy cooperative Inkopad. PT Luminari Prima, a privately-owned
\ncompany and business entity of Gadjah Tunggal, will join with the
\nU.S.-based Westin Hotel to rebuild the 11-floor hotel into a 35-
\nfloor five-star establishment, Yeti said.<\/p>\n
\"The new management wants the new Kartika Plaza Hotel to be
\nthe most luxurious hotel in Southeast Asia,\" she added.<\/p>\n
Yeti said that since June this year several meetings had been
\nheld between the shareholders, the hotel's employees and the
\nboard of trustees to discuss the renovation plan and the issue of
\nseverance pay.<\/p>\n
\"There has been no agreement whatsoever, particularly on
\nseverance pay, after 15 meetings,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Yeti said the hotel's employees are demanding pay according to
\nthe number of years they have worked multiplied by their monthly
\nsalaries, plus Rp 150,000 in service fees multiplied by four.<\/p>\n
\"Most of the employees have worked more than 20 years. The Rp
\n150,000 is a service charge to be multiplied four times for
\ncompensation since we will be dismissed,\" Yeti said.<\/p>\n
\"We demand that this calculation be accepted because we have
\nworked for this hotel for more than 20 years,\" she said, adding
\nthat the employee's salary was \"low\".<\/p>\n
Ekman, a supervisor who has worked at the hotel for 25 years,
\nsaid his salary was Rp 247,500 a month while Yeti claimed to get
\nRp 225,000.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, she said, the hotel's management offered to pay six
\ntimes the salaries for those who have worked for more than 10
\nyears in accordance with official regulations, plus 10 percent in
\nservice charges.<\/p>\n
\"The hotel management has set the deadline for Oct. 11 for us
\nto accept the compensation,\" she said.<\/p>\n
According to her, the hotel also offered its employees the
\noption of receiving their normal salaries during the renovation
\nperiod.<\/p>\n
The employees, however, refused the offer and calculation set
\nby the hotel management.<\/p>\n
\"We will fight to get our demand,\" they said.<\/p>\n
No officials from PT Luminari Prima or PT Wisma Kartika were
\navailable for comment. (01)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kartika-plaza-hotel-closed-for-immediate-renovation-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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