Workers continue protest at House<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of workers of a closed down shoe
\nfactory vowed on Friday to continue their sit-in at the People's
\nConsultative Assembly\/House of Representatives compound until
\ntheir demand was met, a labor activist said.<\/p>\n
Some 3,000 workers of PT Kong Tai Indonesia, who were laid off
\nlast October, have held a sit-in at the compound for five
\nconsecutive days this week, seeking the assistance of legislators
\nto help them get severance pay from the company.<\/p>\n
The workers' representatives talked to Assembly Speaker Amien
\nRais, who promised them he would hold a meeting on Monday with
\nMinister of Manpower Bomer Pasaribu, representatives of House
\nCommission VI for human resources and an executive of state-owned
\nsocial security company PT Jamsostek to discuss the matter.<\/p>\n
Amien said that if the discussion ended in a deadlock, he
\nwould ask President Abdurrahman Wahid to help solve the problem.
\nAmin said he would do this as an ordinary citizen and not in his
\ncapacity as speaker of the Assembly.<\/p>\n
Amien advised the workers to be patient until all parties
\ninvolved in the discussion could work things out. He promised
\nthem the problem would be solved within a week.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot wait any longer and neither can the workers. We
\nwill not wait until the situation gets out of control and becomes
\nsensitive,\" he told reporters, explaining that some of the
\nworkers had been forced to sell their belongings to support their
\nfamilies.<\/p>\n
Amien told the protesters not to worry because the factory's
\nassets could be sold and the proceeds used to pay them.<\/p>\n
The Committee for the Settlement of Labor Disputes, an
\narbitration body tasked with settling disputes between laborers
\nand company owners, decided on Dec. 3 that each worker was
\nentitled to receive twice the amount of money stipulated in a
\nmanpower ministry regulation, excluding the obligatory two
\nmonths' salary.<\/p>\n
The company's Hong Kong shareholders, represented by lawyer
\nO.C. Kaligis, rejected the decision and only agreed to pay the
\namount stipulated in the regulation.<\/p>\n
Sarwoto, a labor union official, explained that according to
\nthe committee's decision, the company should pay some Rp 23
\nbillion compensation to the more than 4,600 workers it laid off.<\/p>\n
Several laborers told The Jakarta Post that they would
\ncontinue their sit-in and spend another night at the House
\ncompound because they had no money to pay for accommodation and
\nthey had no other place to go.<\/p>\n
\"Some of us will stay here not only because we need a
\nsolution, but also a shelter,\" one of them said. (06)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workers-continue-protest-at-house-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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