2,000 workers face job threats

JAKARTA (JP): The Tangerang regency's request that 14 factories relocate has caused concern among 2,000 workers in Batuceper.

The workers said they feared for their jobs and would stage a protest if the companies moved without effort from the administration and managements to accommodate their interests.

"We ask the regency to postpone the relocation plan," workers said as quoted by the Jayakarta daily yesterday.

"The regency must be responsible in case of mass dismissals," a worker said.

The factories are in the Kedaung Wetan and Kedaung Baru subdistricts, which according to the regency are not industrial zones.

Factory owners had agreed to move, the daily said.

Unidentified sources said they feared the relocation would cause unemployment in both subdistricts.(anr)