164,000 workers quit PT Jamsostek

164,000 workers quit PT Jamsostek

KUDUS, Central Java: More than 164,000 employees of cigarette
factories in the city yesterday announced they were withdrawing
from the state social security program PT Jamsostek.

Mohammad As'ad, the chairman of the trade union in the
tobacco, cigarette, food and beverage sector, said here yesterday
that the workers would withdraw all the money appropriated from
their salaries for the insurance program and would establish
their own social security program.

"We quit the social security insurance scheme run by PT
Jamsostek because the company's management was not transparent in
managing the workers' money," he said, pointing out that funds
from PT Jamsostek were used to finance the deliberations of the
controversial labor law.

However Jamsostek's chief representative in the city, Henry,
said that he had yet to receive any statement from the workers on
their exodus from the state insurance company.

"It's their right to quit the social security program," he
said, as quoted by Antara. (rms)