Airline employees plan to set up workers' union

JAKARTA (JP): More than 70 local airline employees and those who already dismissed from airlines have agreed to set up a powerful union that would cover workers of all sectors of the airline industry.

The planned union, expected to be launched next month, was designed to help defend airline employees in any possible dispute with companies, the group's spokeswoman Debra said Saturday after meeting with lawyers at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute office.

"The union will attempt to ask the companies not to readily dismiss the workers. So far, the position of the airline employees is quite weak," said Debra, a former employee of Sempati Air, which has stopped operations.

The union, she said, would also be used as a forum to help former airline employees to find suitable jobs here or overseas.

According to Debra, airline workers here have been divided into different unions, such as for pilots, cabin crew, ground staff and technicians.

"The old regime (of former president Soeharto) forced us to be split into small and different groups. That's why we could not survive in airing our demands," she said.

Included in the group at the meeting were senior airline employee Dolf Latumahina, a former president of Sempati and Garuda Indonesia's pilot association chairman Sadrach M. Nababan.

Dolf promised that he would seek help from his colleagues and from airlines in this region which might have vacancies for the dismissed Indonesian employees.

"There are still opportunities in the airline business for you," he told the crowd.

"I feel Singapore and Brunei could hire Indonesian airline employees," he said.

Lawyer Surya Tjandra of the institute said the set up of the union was important to strengthen the workers' position before their companies.

"The companies often dismissed their employees without giving severance payment, which is required by existing regulations," Surya said.

So far, the institute has witnessed at least 700 workers of local airlines packing the office, complaining about improper treatment they have received from their employers.

The biggest number was from Sempati, which dismissed its 1,800 employees following its closure on June 6 due to the economic crisis.

In May, hundreds of employees from airlines which were controlled by former president Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra, visited the institute, looking for legal advice because the company refused to give proper severance payment.

The financial turmoil also hit Mandala Airline, which dismissed its 40 flight attendants, who then asked fro help from the institute in June.

In March, dozens of Bouraq pilots and flight attendants also asked for help at the institute over their dismissal. (jun)