'Antara' labor activists fired

JAKARTA: Two union activists at state-run news agency Antara, Adi Lazuardi and Sukirman Anwar, claimed they were dismissed last Friday for calling a press conference to criticize the news agency's chief, Mohammad Sobary.

Adi was the chairman of the Antara Workers' Union (SPA), and Sukiman was the union's secretary-general.

SPA, which Adi says has over 100 members from Antara's 600 total employees, has demanded Sobari's resignation over what the union calls two years of mismanagement and poor leadership.

Adi and Sukiman claim Sobari dismissed them after accusing them of broadcasting Antara's internal affairs to outsiders by calling the press conference.

"We tried to meet with Sobari on numerous occasions, but he has always refused to see us for various reasons," said Adi, who had worked at the news agency for over 10 years.

An Antara journalist, speaking on the condition of anonymity, confirmed Adi's statement, saying Sobari avoided meeting with SPA, which is not recognized by Antara's management.

The dispute between Adi and Sobari had been simmering since last year, when Sobari withdrew Adi's name as a candidate for the chairmanship of Antara's Employee Council.

Angered by the move, Adi and some 50 other Antara employees established SPA, which was registered with the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration last month.

Former president Abdurrahman Wahid appointed Sobari to lead Antara in 2000, replacing Parni Hadi. --JP