Bus crew threaten to block streets

JAKARTA (JP): Despite calls for an end to their strike, some 1,500 drivers and conductors of state bus company Perum PPD continued their protest on Thursday and threatened to disrupt traffic in the city to force the government to bow to their demands.

The bus crews, who staged a sit-in at the PPD head office in Cawang, East Jakarta on Thursday, said they would drive through the city on Friday and abandon their buses on main streets to attract the public's attention.

"We have agreed to drive around the city. Afterwards, we will leave all the buses on the streets and march to the Ministry of Transportation to meet the government officials concerned," a driver, A. Sajuri, said to applause from his colleagues.

He said the firm's employees would be emulating truck drivers in France, who lined up their vehicles on roads in a strike last year.

"Such a demonstration will be very effective," he said.

With no PPD buses on the streets, thousands of people were left stranded at bus stops across Greater Jakarta.

Makmur Ginting, secretary of the Indonesian Prosperous Labor Union (SBSI)'s PPD chapter, said such a move looked unavoidable even though the firm's employees knew it would cause traffic chaos in the city.

"We can't stop them ... as they are very disappointed with the management and the government, both of which have yet to respond to their demands," he said, adding that the move was a last resort that they had been forced to take.

Makmur insisted that the management should first pay the employees' wages for February and March, together with their allowances.

"We are hungry and our families are also hungry because our wages for the last two months haven't been paid," he said.

He further said that the workers were demanding that the government revamp the company by replacing corrupt executives and improving the remuneration system.

"The company will continue to suffer losses if the corrupt officials keep their jobs. We want the government to pick a new management team from among the workers because we are the ones who know how to solve the company's problems," he said.

He also said the government should investigate rampant corruption among company management, whom he accused of misusing the huge amounts of money collected from workers to pay monthly premiums under the social insurance program.

"The management has collected a total of Rp 2 billion over the past seven months, but the money has yet to reach PT Jamsostek," he said, referring to the state social insurance company.

Undecided

Separately, Minister of Finance Prijadi Praptosuhardjo said the government remained undecided whether to dissolve or restructure the bus company.

Speaking at a press briefing following a meeting of economic ministers presided over by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri on Thursday, Prijadi said the government would appoint an independent consultant to assess the feasibility of the alternatives available to the government.

"The independent consultant will decide whether PPD can continue or should be wound up. We also have to make sure that if it continues operating, it can afford to pay its mounting debts," Prijadi said.

PPD has been enjoying a government subsidy to date, but as the financial crisis continues to cripple the country, the government is reconsidering its assistance.

Prijadi said a restructuring of the company would greatly depend on the government's cash flow situation.

Minister of Transportation and Telecommunication Agum Gumelar, who also spoke at the media conference, told a different story. He said the government had decided to restructure the company.

"At the previous economics meeting with the Vice President, we decided to restructure the company and not to liquidate it," Agum said, adding that the program was already underway.

Coordinating Minister for the Economy Rizal Ramli at the same press briefing denied the striking bus employees' claim that they had not been paid for the last two months.

"The government has prepared funds to pay the drivers' wages during the process, so please stop the strike. It's not true that we did not pay the salaries," Rizal said. (dja/rms)