Bank employees mull rally in support of colleagues

JAKARTA (JP): A newly founded workers union threatened yesterday to stage "a massive but peaceful" rally soon unless the government settles the fate of 12,000 employees of three suspended private banks.

Giving no definite date or place for the protest, the Federation of Indonesian Financial Institutions and Banking Workers Organizations spokesman, Tavip, said he would soon call his contacts, including those at the three banks, to realize the plan unless there are clear signs of a favorable settlement for the 12,000 workers.

"We're ready to hold a massive but peaceful demonstration to support their demands," Tavip, who claimed to be a former employee of HongKong Bank in Jakarta, told a media conference at the Foundation of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute (YLBHI).

So far, he said, the union, known by its abbreviation Forkuba, only has dozens of members but has contacts with workers throughout the industry.

According to Tavip, Forkuba is insisting the government does not dismiss the 12,000 employees of Bank Dagang Nasional Indonesia (BDNI), Bank Umum Nasional (BUN) and Modern Bank, which the government suspended Friday pending their liquidation.

The government, instead, should provide them with jobs at sister companies of the three banks, he said, but did not elaborate on the fate of the existing workers at the companies.

If the government, he said, had to dismiss the bank employees, it should invite the employees' representatives to meet the bank executives in order to get fair severance payment.

Learning from the many cases of financially troubled banks in this country, the government should discuss everything related to employees with workers unions before being approving their dismissal, he said.

YLBHI's labor division head, Teten Masduki, suggested the government rule that banks should give a portion of their shares to the employees to allow the latter to partly control the banks' operations.

Investigation

The police said yesterday they had started to investigate the three suspended banks.

According to National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Togar Sianipar, officers have prepared a preliminary investigation into the three banks, including the listing of possible suspects and tracing and collecting evidence.

"As investigators, the police have to be ready to thoroughly probe the banks. This is a crucial matter which needs to be handled carefully," Togar told reporters.

But, he said, the police were still waiting for the final result of Bank Indonesia's investigation.

Besides the three suspended banks, National Police economic crime detectives are also investigating dozens of top executives of the 16 insolvent banks that the government closed last November for their alleged violation of the country's banking laws.

The police have already named 24 suspects from seven banks.

Togar said yesterday that police have summoned 65 people as witnesses in the probe of the seven banks: Sejahtera Bank Umum (SBU), Bank Harapan Sentosa (BHS), South East Asia Bank (SEAB), Bank Pasific, Bank Anrico, Bank Kosa Graha and Bank Pinaesaan.

"The witnesses include Bank Indonesia staff, employees of the seven banks and other reliable witnesses such as customers of the troubled banks," he said.

Togar also corrected an earlier statement that three of the 24 suspects had been put on the police's most wanted list since they were thought to have left the country.

"Currently only two suspects, Hendra Rahardja and Eko Edi Putranto, respectively chief commissioner and president of BHS, are on the red notice to be hunted by Interpol.

"The other suspect, Lesmana Basuki, the SBU commissioner, has met his police summons. He's not leaving the country," Togar said. (jun/edt)