Water supply guaranteed despite protests<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The city administration and two foreign partners
\nof city water management company PDAM Jaya -- Pam Lyonnaise Jaya
\n(Palyja) and Thames Pam Jaya (TPJ) -- guaranteed on Monday the
\ncity's water supply would not be disrupted despite persistent
\nprotests by PDAM Jaya employees.<\/p>\n
Assistant to the city secretary on development affairs Ongky
\nSukasah, Palyja commissioner Bernard Lafrogne and TPJ sales and
\nmarketing manager Nani Sariati said all main water installations
\nwere guarded by security officers.<\/p>\n
Ongky stressed that the administration and the two foreign
\ncompanies were responsible for the security of the eight major
\nwater installations.<\/p>\n
Four of the installations -- Buaran, Pulogadung, Condet and
\nCilincing -- are under the management of TPJ, while the rest --
\nPejompongan I and II, Cilandak and Taman Kota -- are under
\nPalyja.<\/p>\n
Lafrogne said 30 soldiers were on guard at each of the
\ninstallations.<\/p>\n
\"We also anticipated (the situation) by instructing the city's
\nfive mayoralties to help improve security,\" he said.<\/p>\n
PDAM Jaya's president Rama Boedi explained the water
\ninstallations were guarded even under normal conditions.<\/p>\n
\"That's why there is nothing to worry about concerning the
\npossibility of water disruption,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, hundreds of uniformed PDAM Jaya's employees
\ncontinued to protest in front of the company's headquarters on
\nJl. Penjernihan in Central Jakarta on Monday.<\/p>\n
The protest, marked by a free speech forum, began at 8 a.m.
\nand ended peacefully at 3 p.m. No posters nor banners were
\nobserved during the action.<\/p>\n
Lafrogne dismissed as impossible a threat by PDAM Jaya's labor
\nunion to cut off the water supply if its demand for wage
\nincreases and dissolution of the cooperation agreement between
\nPDAM Jaya and TPJ and Palyja were not met.<\/p>\n
\"Only a limited number of employees have access to the four
\nplants under Palyja,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Lafrogne also responded to the \"very small\" possibility of
\nPDAM Jaya workers deliberately poisoning the water supply.<\/p>\n
\"Only tons of poisonous chemicals transferred into the waters
\ncould possibly poison the water, and how is anybody to do that
\nwithout getting caught?\"<\/p>\n
Regarding the union's demand for better wages and allowances,
\nLafrogne explained that in line with the Ministry of Finance's
\ndecree issued in June 1998, PDAM Jaya's employee allowances were
\nto be increased by at least 15 percent by April 1, 1999.<\/p>\n
Palyja also increased the take-home pay of 1,500 PDAM Jaya
\nemployees working under it by 20.5 percent, he said.<\/p>\n
A protest coordinator, Idris Mansuri, told The Jakarta Post
\nthat the cancellation of the cooperation agreement was essential
\nbecause it was reached illegally.<\/p>\n
\"Governor Sutiyoso has to dissolve the cooperation agreement
\nby the end of this month at the latest,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"If not, we will conducting another massive protest at City
\nHall to push him to quit his post.\"<\/p>\n
The protest involved employees of PDAM Jaya's 26 branches
\nthroughout Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Head of the Gading Permai branch in North Jakarta, Bachtiar,
\nsaid all of his 43 staff members took part in the protest.<\/p>\n
\"We are prepared to participate in the protest until our
\ndemands are fulfilled,\" he said. (01\/ylt\/ind)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/water-supply-guaranteed-despite-protests-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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