Contract workers face lay-off

JAKARTA (JP): A Bekasi council deputy speaker has urged the local regency administration office to review its plan to lay off 1,000 contract workers.

According to councillor M. Mushlih, the lives of the workers and their families would only get worse if the plan is pursued.

"The administration must find ways to avoid laying off employees because most have children at home and they are already facing difficulties as a result of the economic crisis," Mushlih said on Wednesday.

The plan to cut staff numbers was announced on Monday by Bekasi regency secretary Adang Bachtiar and Soemirat, an assistant to the regent.

"We'll use permanent government employees (to replace the contract workers) in an attempt to minimize costs," Adang said.

He was quoted by Antara as saying that the central government had cut the regency's budget for the 1998/99 financial year from Rp 190 billion to Rp 90 billion (US$8 million).

"Half of the budget has been allocated for routine expenditure, including the salaries of all permanent employees and contract workers," Adang said.

Councillor Mushlih said that top local officials had recently promised that contract workers would retained. Some of the workers currently facing the axe have been working for the regency for up to 20 years.

Contract workers said they were shocked to hear news of the plan.

"Losing my job in the current climate would be a bitter blow to me," said Asep, a father of two who has worked for the regency for six years.

A local sanitation agency official questioned if government employees would be willing to undertake the jobs done at the sanitation works by contract workers.

"I'm not sure that government employees would be prepared to do that type of work," said the official, who requested anonymity. (bsr)