Employees complain about higher commuting costs
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)