80 disabled workers sue arbitration board
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)