Taxi drivers hold another rally over rental fee hike<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Some 300 taxi drivers of the Centris Group
\nstaged a rally on Tuesday at the company's headquarters on Jl.
\nH.R. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta, renewing their protest over
\nthe firm's plan to increase the drivers' daily rental fee by 25
\npercent.<\/p>\n
Spokesman for the drivers, Rahman M, said he and his
\ncolleagues held the demonstration, the second within a week,
\nafter the company breached an agreement to cancel the proposed
\nfee increase on March 2, a day after the first rally.<\/p>\n
He said the agreement was made in front of the Kebayoran Lama
\nPolice Precinct chief. In exchange, the drivers resumed their
\nduties.<\/p>\n
\"But when we came to the taxi pool at Kebayoran Lama to get
\nback behind the wheel on March 3, the management closed the
\nstation's door and placed a placard on it announcing that they
\nwould proceed with the planned fee hike,\" Rahman said.<\/p>\n
The placard read: \"To drivers who wish to work for money and
\ndo not seek enemies, the rental fee remains Rp 115,000 per day
\nand Rp 110,000 on holidays. Come and state your cooperation with
\nPT Ratax! We are ready to serve you.\"<\/p>\n
The new rate is Rp 25,000 higher than the old fee.<\/p>\n
The drivers have remained on strike since the first rally on
\nMarch 1.<\/p>\n
Centris Group operates around 1,600 cabs under three names:
\nRatax, Kartika and Mercury. The rental fee for Kartika and
\nMercury is Rp 100,000 per day while Ratax drivers have to pay Rp
\n115,000 per day.<\/p>\n
\"We (drivers) reject the hike because we have been taking on
\nunfair competition with other taxi firms still using the old
\nflagfall rate of Rp 2,000. Drivers are also facing an increase in
\nfuel prices soon,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The government will raise fuel prices by an average 20 percent
\nnext month. The standard premium price is currently Rp 1,150 per
\nliter.<\/p>\n
Rahman said that the taxi drivers only managed to earn Rp
\n570,000 a month, or a mere Rp 19,000 a day.<\/p>\n
Rahman, who has been with the Centris Group for 10 years, said
\nthe company had yet to implement the gubernatorial letter No.
\n3539\/-1.811.33 approving the taxi fare hike dated Nov. 14, 2000,
\nwhich obliges the management to discuss the planned increase with
\ndrivers.<\/p>\n
\"The company's management has never invited drivers to discuss
\neither its decision to apply the new flagfall of Rp 3,000 or its
\ndecision to increase the daily rental,\" Rahman said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Makmur Ginting of the Indonesian Prosperous Workers
\nUnion (SBSI), who represented the protesters in a meeting with
\nCentris general manager Suryadi, said the management promised to
\nopen talks with the drivers' representatives within the next two
\ndays.<\/p>\n
\"Suryadi asked for two days to prepare a negotiation, which is
\nexpected to result in the best solution for the ongoing strike,\"
\nGinting told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Some protesting drivers were reported to have stopped Centris
\ncabs passing Jl. H.R Rasuna Said and expel their passengers.<\/p>\n
The March 1 rally at City Hall was marked by resentful drivers
\nhurling stones at their non-striking colleagues and smashing the
\nwindscreens of at least seven cabs after they were stopped in
\nfront of City Hall but refused to join the rally. No injuries
\nwere reported during the incident. (01)<\/p>",
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