Workers protest 'sudden' closure<\/p>\n
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang<\/p>\n
Some 6,800 locked-out workers of PT Doson Indonesia, a
\nsubcontractor for shoe giant Nike, staged a rally on Monday in
\nfront of the company factory.<\/p>\n
They protested that the management had closed the company
\nsuddenly without giving them any advance warning.<\/p>\n
All the steel gates of the factory, which is located on Jl.
\nRaya Legok in the Legok district of Tangerang regency, were
\nwelded shut on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The workers interviewed by The Jakarta Post said that
\nthey had not been informed about the factory closure plan by
\ncompany management.<\/p>\n
"All of the factory's gates are welded tight so that none of
\nthe workers who arrived at the factory to work as usual could get
\nin," said one of the protesting workers, who refused to give his
\nname.<\/p>\n
Joko Haryono, who chairs the Indonesia Textile, Garment and
\nLeather Workers' Union (SPTSK) branch in the company, said the
\nmanagement had never announced the plan to close the factory on
\nSunday so that the workers came to the factory to work as usual
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
The workers were shocked by the secretive closure and they
\nwere at a loss to know what to do in response to the management's
\ndecision.<\/p>\n
SPTSK secretary Surono said that several workers who by
\ncoincidence came to the factory on Sunday had found contractor
\nwelding the gates of the factory shut.<\/p>\n
When they asked who had ordered the welding, the contractor
\nsaid it was the management and the Tangerang Police.<\/p>\n
Joko said that all the workers were wondering what was going
\non on Monday morning as none of them were picked up by the
\ncompany buses that usually transported them to the factory. "All
\nthe workers came to the factory using public transportation," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
"We tried to contact both PT Doson Indonesia HRD manager
\nMohammad Banjir Iqbal and General Manager Candra Handoko, whom we
\nbelieve had knowledge of the factory closure, but their cellular
\nphones were switched off," Joko added.<\/p>\n
The workers will stage a rally to protest the closure at the
\nMinistry of Manpower and Transmigration Office on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Some workers earlier said that they had realized the company's
\nplan to dismiss workers on a massive scale after seeing a letter
\nsigned by the Nike's General Manager in Indonesia Jeff Du Mont
\nlast month, stating that Nike would halt its orders starting from
\nNovember.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workers-protest-sudden-closure-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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