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.