Councilors regret workers' dismissals

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors regretted on Tuesday the dismissals of 12 workers of city-owned water firm PDAM Jaya over their alleged involvement in a series of protests over the last six months.

Councilor Saud Rahman said PDAM Jaya should not have dismissed the "outspoken" employees since a renegotiation of a water management agreement between the firm and its two foreign partners was not reached.

"It would have been better if PDAM Jaya first suspended the workers before dismissing them," Saud of the United Development Party (PPP) faction said.

While citing the water management agreement which was signed in February last year, Saud said that PDAM Jaya and foreign firms PT Pam Lyonnaise Jaya (Palyja) and PT Thames Pam Jaya (TPJ) agreed not to dismiss any PDAM Jaya employees despite a water management handover.

All 2,500 employees of PDAM Jaya were seconded to Palyja and TPJ, which are subsidiaries of French firm Suez Lyonnaise des Eaux and British firm Thames Water International respectively.

Councilor Posman Siahaan of the Justice and Unity Party (PKP) said he would question PDAM Jaya whether it issued warning letters before dismissing the 12 workers.

"We will question whether PDAM Jaya lawfully dismissed the 12 employees or not," Posman said.

Meanwhile, Council Speaker Edy Waluyo said he would urge PDAM Jaya to reemploy the 12 workers if their dismissal violated regulations.

"We'll establish an inquiry team to study the problem," Edy said.

PDAM Jaya dismissed 12 of its employees on Monday on charges that they damaged the company's image by conducting a series of protests in the past six months.

The firm's president, Muzahiem Mochtar, told a media conference on Monday that the employees' final intolerable action took place last month, when the 12 men, together with some fellow workers, occupied the firm's logistics office in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta.

The 12 dismissed employees were officials of the PDAM Jaya workers union. They included union deputy chairman Yorizon B., secretary Zaenal Abidin and spokesman Yoshi Andriawan.

For their dismissal, the 12 workers will receive compensation worth nine times their monthly basic salary, which ranges between Rp 1.7 million (US$223.70) and Rp 2.5 million each.

The workers rejected the dismissals, saying they would file a lawsuit against the firm. (jun)