Construction employees demand status guarantee

Construction employees demand status guarantee

The Jakarta Post, Medan

Hundreds of employees of a regional construction company staged a
demo at the city council building in Medan, North Sumatra, on
Monday demanding a guarantee for their future employment status
following the state owned firm's management transfer.

PD Pembangunan Medan, a state construction company run by the
regional administration, plans to transfer the management of its
Amplas, Pinang Baris and Teladan terminals to the municipal
communications office.

The employees protested against the change from their 12-year
status as regular personnel of PD Pembangunan into casual daily
workers following the transfer, without certainty about their
fixed salaries and old-age benefits.

They urged that city councilors seek the municipal
administration's prompt response to the issue, otherwise "we will
mobilize all families of the employees to stage a large-scale
protest," said Triono Hadi, coordinator of the action -- the
third so far.

"Though we get paid below the provincial minimum wages at only
Rp418,000 monthly, our status is legally protected, which is not
the case when we serve as casual workers under the communications
office," he told The Jakarta Post.

Ibnu Hajar, vice chairman of the Medan legislature, promised
to discuss the fate of the employees in a meeting between the
municipal administration, the communications office and PD
Pembangunan slated for Wednesday.

Meanwhile, PD Pembangunan President Director T.H. Rajagukguk
explained to the protesters that the terminal management takeover
by the communications office was in line with a decree of the
minister of communications.

"The terminals in Medan were put under PD Pembangunan's
management in 1990 by then Mayor Bachtiar Djafar, so it is only
proper to return their management to the communications office,"
he added.

Rajagukguk, however, declined to comment on the status change
of its employees under the communications office. "It is beyond
my authority to answer it, just leave the matter to the Mayor,"
he said.