Employees complain about higher commuting costs

TANGERANG (JP): Hundreds of Tangerang regency employees, who have been moved to the regency's new administrative complex in Tigaraksa, complained yesterday that they had to shoulder higher transportation costs for their longer commute.

Many employees now have to spend between Rp 5,000 and Rp 10,000 a day for their commute to and from the office, said Asep, an employee of the regency's office of the Ministry of Public Works.

"We don't have enough money to buy food with such a high level of transportation costs," Asep said.

"If this continues, we're afraid that we'll only be able to show up at the office just twice a week. If this happens, it would disrupt public services," another employee, who asked not to be named, said.

The two employees urged Regent Agus Djunara to pay serious attention to the problem, suggesting he provide employees with housing near the new office complex.

The regency's plan to move its offices, which started several years ago, has apparently not run as smoothly as expected. Financial problems have been cited as the main problem.

About half of the regency's offices, including those dealing with development affairs, road construction, city planning, land administration, fire fighting and funeral affairs, have moved to the new location.

The regency's regional development planning agency and the regional inspector's office are currently in the process of moving.

Other activities to finish the move to the new site, however, have come to a standstill, mainly because of the monetary crisis.

The regency's spokeswoman, Enna Karlina, said the regency had known about the employees' complaints about transportation costs for a long time. Officials are still mulling the possibility of providing employee housing near the new complex, she said.

"The regency is still looking for developers who could build cheap houses near the headquarters, or at least in Cisoka district."

Officials are planning to find out how many employees need housing near the office, she said.

The regent has reportedly started working in the new complex twice a week in a show of support for the employees already moved there.

The regency's old office is located in Tangerang mayoralty.

Karlina said the regency had allocated Rp 5.3 billion this year -- much less than last year's Rp 13 billion -- for the construction of the regency's secretarial office and the Tangerang legislative council's building.

The construction of the two offices were both neglected by the regency's contractor -- PT Panca Wiratama Sakti. (41/jun)