80 disabled workers sue arbitration board

JAKARTA (JP): At least 80 disabled workers are suing the Labor Dispute Arbitration Board at the Ministry of Manpower for approving their dismissal from a workshop for the handicapped, a lawyer said on Tuesday.

Representing the workers, Lawyer Erna Ratnaningsih from the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said a lawsuit was filed against the board at the Jakarta Administrative High Court on Monday.

"We urge the court to cancel the board's approval for the dismissal. The lawsuit will be heard soon," Erna said.

The dispute between the disabled people from the Swa Prasidya Purna industrial workshop on Jl. Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, and its operator should be handled by a public court, instead of the board, Erna said.

She said the board had no authority to settle the dispute since the workshop is managed by the social foundation Harapan Kita.

The foundation was founded by former president Soeharto's late wife Ibu Tien.

"It's not a firm, so the board could not settle the dispute," Erna said.

The dispute occurred when foundation chairman, businessman Probosutedjo, -- also former president Soeharto's stepbrother -- abruptly closed the workshop last August citing bankruptcy, Erna said.

At the request of the foundation, the board then approved the dismissal of the workshop's 84 workers, including the workshop's manager and three other staff, she said.

According to the 80 disabled workers, the bankruptcy was mainly caused by the manager and the three staff members -- all of whom are able bodied.

The aggrieved workers, however, provided no further details regarding their accusation.

Following the closure of the workshop, Probosutedjo asked the 80 workers to return to their respective hometowns in Central Java, from where the foundation staff first picked them up in the 1970s, Erna said.

The lawyer said her clients refused the offer and asked the government to allow them to manage the workshop, which had provided a variety of businesses, including printing, garment and handicraft manufacture and a household store.

She said the workers had visited the foundation office on Jl. Teuku Umar, Central Jakarta, however, the office had been vacant since Soeharto stepped down last May.

The workers had complained to several related organizations, including the Ministry of Social Services, but had received unsatisfactory responses, she said.

The workers would soon visit the Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare and Poverty Eradication's office which now manages foundations formerly controlled by Soeharto, she said. (jun)