PT DI workers plan to sue director<\/p>\n
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung<\/p>\n
The labor union at PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI) said on Monday
\nit would sue the state-owned aircraft company's president
\ndirector, Edwin Soedarmo, for has been called a \"unilateral
\ndecision\" to suspend more than 9,000 workers.<\/p>\n
The legal threat comes despite the company's promise to allow
\naround 3,000 workers to return to work in stages starting on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
However, only 150 employees, mostly managers and supervisors,
\ndid return to work on Monday. Officials said more would follow in
\nabout two weeks.<\/p>\n
Cheppy Pamungkas, a lawyer for the Communication Forum for
\nEmployees (FKK), said the labor union would file lawsuits with
\nthe Bandung District Court and the local administrative court
\nseparately on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said the legal action against Edwin was lawful, arguing
\nthat the FKK was treated unfairly when the decision to suspend
\nthe 9,643 workers was announced on July 11.<\/p>\n
\"The suspension decision did not involve the workers and it
\ntherefore was procedurally illegal, because it was only agreed
\nupon by only two of the five directors,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The two directors were Edwin and business operations director
\nBudi Waskito, while the three who were excluded from the
\ndecision-making were technical director Budi Setiawan, finance
\ndirector Pudji Sulaksono and human resources director Sudarma.<\/p>\n
Cheppy said the labor union had demanded that Edwin annul the
\nsuspension of all the workers, but it was ignored.<\/p>\n
He spoke to journalists as around 2,000 workers continued
\ntheir protest outside the company's compound on Jl. Padjajaran in
\nBandung.<\/p>\n
Businessman and singer Setiawan Djodi appeared to show his
\nsolidarity with the protesters.<\/p>\n
Cheppy urged Edwin to delay the suspension, pending the
\noutcome of the lawsuits.<\/p>\n
He argued that under Law 13\/2003 on manpower, the decision to
\nlay off workers should have been made by the board of directors
\nafter negotiations with employees.<\/p>\n
The directors then should have notified the internal trade
\nunion and the provincial manpower office seven days before PT DI
\nlocked up the plant and suspended the workers, he added.<\/p>\n
Apart from being charged with violating labor laws, Edwin is
\nalso being sued for deploying special Air Force (Paskhas)
\npersonnel to guard the plant after the lockout.<\/p>\n
\"Using the military to keep workers out has no legal basis...
\nbecause it is a security task for the police,\" Cheppy said.<\/p>\n
Edwin had said the suspension resulted from the chronic
\nfinancial difficulties that had been plaguing the company for
\nyears.<\/p>\n
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, he said that around
\n3,000 employees would be reassigned to assemble CN-235 passenger
\nplanes and to produce spare parts for Airbus A-380 aircraft
\nordered by British Aerospace.<\/p>\n
He said PT DI was currently working on two CN-235 planes
\nordered by the Royal Malaysian Air Force, which were scheduled to
\nbe delivered in September 2004 and March 2005 respectively.<\/p>\n
The company is also working on four CN-235s ordered by
\nPakistan, which should be delivered by the end of this year and
\nin June 2004.<\/p>\n
As for the remaining employees, Edwin said the company had yet
\nto decide on what to do about them. \"In the next six months, we
\nwill do a streamlining program in the company and concentrate on
\nour core business. This will likely lead to a cut in our
\nworkforce,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pt-di-workers-plan-to-sue-director-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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