Airport employees go on strike, flights continue
Airport employees go on strike, flights continue
JAKARTA (JP): Some 100 airport employees went on strike at
Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday demanding national
flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia restore their status as
government employees within the airline.
The move did not disrupt Garuda's flight schedules.
The strike began at 4 a.m, the beginning of the company's
first working shift of the day.
"There was only one flight delay, but it was caused by a
technical matter, not by the strike," said Bambang Wahyudi,
president director of PT Gapura Angkasa, the sole provider of
ground handling services to PT Garuda Indonesia.
"We have assigned employees from the company's other divisions
to handle the jobs of the employees on strike," said Bambang.
The protesters, who are employees of PT Gapura Angkasa, vowed
they would strike until the management of Garuda met their
demand.
The protesters staged a sit-in at several spots in the
airport, including on the first and second floors of departure
terminals E and F.
The protesters did not carry any pamphlets or posters
expressing their demand, and failed to draw the attention of
passengers.
Baharuddin, a passenger, said he had no problem claiming his
luggage.
"I found no obstacles in getting my luggage," said the Garuda
passenger, who arrived at the airport from Ujungpandang at midday
on Monday.
PT Gapura Angkasa is a private joint venture company
established by PT Garuda Indonesia and airport management firm PT
Angkasa Pura.
Garuda transferred 1,600 ground staff employees to the private
company in 1998, as part of its restructuring program after it
suffered significant losses due to the depreciation of the
rupiah.
Some 1,200 employees of the company work at the international
airport, with duties including checking in passengers and their
luggage.
One of the protesters, H. Panggabean, accused the airline of
intimidating its employees into moving to PT Gapura Angkasa.
"The company threatened that if we did not move to the company
we would be fired," he told The Jakarta Post at the airport.
No avail
Panggabean, an employee at the lost and found luggage
department, said the employees had filed their complaint with
Garuda management and the House of Representatives and made their
demand known in December last year, but to no avail.
Elman Haloho, another PT Gapura Angkasa employee, said Garuda
had broken its 1998 promise that the employees would receive
employment benefits equaling those they received when employed by
the airline.
"But we have never received any such benefits from PT Gapura
Angkasa," he said.
Elman said he noticed that people working for PT Gapura were
treated differently from those working for PT Garuda.
"The employees of PT Garuda received annual bonuses twice the
amount of ours. The bonuses were distributed early this year.
"Garuda employees also had their salaries increases three
months ago," he said.
"Meanwhile, the salaries of PT Gapura employees will only be
raised at the end of this month."
The management of PT Garuda offered to discuss the demand with
five protesters, but the employees rejected the offer.
"We want all employees involved in the strike to be included
in the discussion," Elman said.
Dozens of police personnel safeguarded the airport, but no
incidents occurred.
Achdiat Mihardja, who provides legal assistance to the
employees, said some 30 representatives of the protesters were
having a meeting with Bambang Wahyudi until Monday night.
(asa/41)