PT Dirgantara Indonesia workers agree to end strike<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Striking workers at state-owned aircraft industry PT
\nDirgantara Indonesia are likely to return to work on Thursday
\nfollowing the government's assurance that the company's
\nmanagement would be reshuffled.<\/p>\n
AM Bone, the secretary-general of the labor union at the
\ncompany, said the union had made an agreement with Mawardi
\nSimatupang, the director general of privatization at the office
\nof the state minister of state enterprises, to reshuffle the
\nmanagement.<\/p>\n
Bone said Mawardi agreed to hold a general shareholders'
\nmeeting for Dirgantara within the next three months to replace
\nthe current management.<\/p>\n
\"The agreement has been put down on paper, and we are
\nconvinced that the government will carry through with it, so we
\nwill end the strike by Thursday,\" Bone told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile the spokesman for the office of the state minister
\nof state enterprises, Sumarno, denied that his office had agreed
\nto reshuffle Dirgantara's management.<\/p>\n
\"It's too early to say that. Yes, the minister listened to the
\nworkers' aspirations, but he needs to get the other parties'
\nopinion before deciding on the next step,\" Sumarno told the Post.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the day, representatives of the labor union, known
\nas the Forum of Communications for Employees, met with
\nlegislators and State Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana
\nSukardi at the House of Representatives compound.<\/p>\n
In the meeting, union leaders reiterated their demand for the
\ngovernment to replace members of the management, whom they
\naccused of corruption, collusion, nepotism and incompetence, to
\nsolve the company's various problems.<\/p>\n
They also demanded that the government appoint a caretaker
\nmanagement to run the company.<\/p>\n
At the meeting, Laksamana promised that he would look into the
\nmatter, but said: \"Unless it is proven that they were wrong, our
\noffice will not take any measures against them.\"<\/p>\n
Dirgantara's workers have been on strike since Monday. The
\nthree-day strike involved 9,000 people and practically paralyzed
\nthe company's operations.<\/p>\n
The company's chief commissioner, Air Force chief Adm. Hanafie
\nAsnan, estimated that the strike cost the company about Rp 15
\nbillion (US$1.5 million).<\/p>\n
Hanafie remarked that the workers' demand to replace the
\nmanagement was too strong, while adding that the company was
\nimproving financially. He did not elaborate further.<\/p>\n
Hanafie said that the company had orders to produce its trade-
\nmark CN-235 fixed-wing aircraft from a number of countries,
\nincluding South Korea and Pakistan.<\/p>\n
If the workers' demand stemmed from concern over the graft
\ncases, Hanafie argued that all the cases had been transferred to
\nthe West Java Provincial Prosecutor's Office.<\/p>\n
\"We could have another round of talks. If necessary, we could
\nhave the manpower minister act as a mediator,\" Hanafie said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pt-dirgantara-indonesia-workers-agree-to-end-strike-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}