Terrified public transportation drivers go back to work<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
Traffic here in the North Sumatra capital has returned to normal
\nas thousands of drivers ended their strike on Tuesday after the
\nbus companies threatened to fire them if they continued their
\nthree-day protest against the fuel and utility price hikes.<\/p>\n
The striking drivers, supported by students, were attacked by
\na group of thugs, believed to have been hired by the bus
\noperators, hours before they started their planned strike on
\nMonday. Two of the drivers were seriously injured and are now
\nbeing treated in the intensive care unit of a local hospital.<\/p>\n
Police in Medan said on Tuesday they were questioning at least
\n11 witnesses over the incident and were searching for the
\nattackers, who fled in two city transportation vehicles.<\/p>\n
\"We want the drivers to stop their strike. We are
\ninvestigating the case and hopefully we will arrest the
\nperpetrators soon,\" Medan Police chief Sr. Comr. Badrodin Haiti
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The drivers claimed they were forced to go back to work on
\nTuesday out of fear they would be fired by their employers.<\/p>\n
Victor Nainggolan, chairman of the public transportation
\ndrivers and owners' association (Kesper-AU), which organized the
\nstrike, said he had ordered his members back to work on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\"We have gone back to work due to coercion. If we continue
\nwith our strike, our licenses could be revoked,\" he told the
\nPost.<\/p>\n
But O.K. Chaidir, who chairs the Medan branch of the land
\ntransportation owners' organization (Organda), denied the bus
\noperators had threatened the drivers with dismissal should they
\ncontinue their strike.<\/p>\n
He urged the drivers to halt their protest, saying it would
\ndisadvantage the public at large.<\/p>\n
\"The bus operators have never threatened the drivers. But they
\nshould never have gone on strike as they have an obligation to
\nserve the public,\" Chaidir said.<\/p>\n
Victor said the representatives of the striking drivers would
\nmeet North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin on Thursday as the
\ngovernment had yet to heed their demands to reverse the rises in
\nfuel and utility prices.<\/p>\n
The drivers also demanded that the authorities take action to
\nensure cheaper spare parts and eliminate rampant extortion.<\/p>\n
Their move was supported by students and activists from
\nvarious non-governmental organizations based in Medan.<\/p>\n
\"If the planned meeting with the governor produces no joy, we
\nwill go on strike again as part of a bigger protest. We are
\nworking together with the student organizations and others who
\nsupport our struggle,\" Victor said.<\/p>",
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