Employees of Taman Mini go on strike over bonus

Employees of Taman Mini go on strike over bonus

JAKARTA (JP): Some 800 employees of the 900-strong workforce
of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (the Beautiful Indonesia in
Miniature Park) in East Jakarta went on strike on Sunday to press
their demands for a raise in their annual Idul Fitri allowance.

The protest which started at around 8 a.m. took place in front
of the park's management office, leaving dozens of puzzled
visitors stranded in queues at the entrance gates, which were
closed by the strikers.

Some of the visitors decided to cancel their weekend
recreation plan and turned their cars round to leave the vast
entertainment and recreation park, which was built on the
initiative of late former first lady Tien Soeharto.

The frustrated visitors included families from other
provinces, such as Central Java.

Deden, one of the park's security guards, related that he had
met an elderly couple along with their grandchildren from the
Central Java capital of Semarang who had to leave the compound in
confusion about the closure of the gates on such a busy Sunday.

"When I closed the gates this morning, the couple asked me
what was wrong and they urged me to explain as they had to
explain in turn to their grandchildren why they couldn't enter
the park," he said.

Attired in their light blue uniforms, the on-strike employees
unfurled banners that read -- among other things: "Think of our
fate" and "Please help us, Boss!"

At about midday the employees stopped their peaceful three-
hour strike after the management of the park promised to further
discuss their demands with executives of the Harapan Kita
Foundation that run the park; these include former president
Soeharto.

According to the workers, they initially planned to go on
strike for a full week beginning Sunday unless the management met
their demands.

"We today decided to close the entrance gates as we were
afraid of people who wanted to take advantage during our stoppage
due to the lack of security," Joko Widodo, who represented the
employees, told media at the site.

The protesting employees agreed to disperse and resume work
after some of their representatives were invited for a dialog by
the deputy general manager of the park.

According to Joko, the Taman Mini employees wanted a
significant increase in their annual Idul Fitri allowance,
locally called THR, this year because all of them have received
an unchanged Rp 150,000 since 1980.

"The management should also understand that all prices these
days have gone up," he said.

The employees did not specify any amount for the raise in
their allowance this year as they said they also fully understood
about the significant drop in the park's income.

They only referred to the Minister of Manpower's decree No.
4/1994, which states that employers should provide Idul Fitri
allowances to their workers which are equal to the employees'
monthly salary.

"Since the regulation was enacted, we have never protested for
any hike at all," Joko added.

Separately, the park's spokesman Dandoel Hardoyono said he
promised to submit the employees' demands to the executives of
the foundation.

"I understand why they have to hold a protest but we ask them
to resume work as their demands will be submitted to the Harapan
Kita Foundation's chairman and its other executives," he said.

Dandoel also said that in general the protest went peacefully
and the protesters had evidently notified local police and asked
for security back up.

Located on a 150-hectare plot, Taman Mini is run by a
management under the Harapan Kita Foundation, which is chaired by
former president Soeharto.

Dubbed one of the country's assets, the park sparked
controversy during its development in the mid 70s. Many still
believe that the park was a private property of Soeharto's
family.

The park usually reached its business peak on holidays with
visitors from a variety of places who include foreign tourists.

On the first day of 1998, for instance, the park recorded
80,000 visitors. (emf)