Cruise ship fires 103 Indonesian workers

Cruise ship fires 103 Indonesian workers

JAKARTA (JP): Holland American Line fired 103 Indonesians
working on their MS Westerdam cruise Saturday for a strike they
organized in defense of their fellow countrymen who were facing
dismissal.

One of the MS Westerdam crew members who spoke on condition of
anonymity told The Jakarta Post by telephone from Florida
yesterday that the Indonesians were deported on the same day.

The strike was held in solidarity with five Indonesian crew
members following their dispute with the cruise's food manager,
Ron van Vliet, he said.

They not only went on strike but also staged a demonstration
with posters condemning what they saw as the "unfair treatment"
of their five colleagues facing dismissal, he said.

The action practically crippled the service on the cruise
which was heading for Florida-Sean Martin-Sean Thomas and Nasao
last week, he said.

"Passengers were mad, smashing anything they could because no
one served them on the cruise," he said.

"As the cruise anchored in Florida at 4 p.m. on Saturday all
103 Indonesians were kicked off the ship and sent back to
Indonesia.

He said that various Indonesians had worked with the company
from between one week and 18 years. They were recruited by the
Jakarta-based Nitour Inc.

Nitour Inc. general manager Iskandar, who happened to be in
Florida on Saturday, was surprised to hear about the "instant"
dismissal and promised to look into the matter upon his arrival
in Jakarta, the source said.

The Indonesian Sailors Association in Florida could not do
anything to help the workers, he added.

The jobless workers are scheduled to arrive at Cengkareng
International Airport this evening and plan to refer their case
to the House of Representatives (DPR).

MS Westerdam, which has a capacity of up to 1,600 people,
employs nearly 350 crew members from Indonesia. (02/pan)