Ex-employees of closed banks vow to reveal bosses' misdeeds

JAKARTA (JP): More than 1,000 ex-employees from at least 18 closed banks threatened on Thursday to divulge incidents of malfeasance committed by their former employers unless their demands for more severance pay were met.

"This is our last resort. We're still collecting data from our respective banks," the employees' spokesman, Taufik, said during a rally in front of the Wisma Bank Danamon building on Jl. Sudirman in South Jakarta, where the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) is located.

According to Taufik, the ex-employees will announce banking misdeeds committed by the bank owners if the owners refuse to meet their demands for severance pay equal to 10 times their monthly salaries.

A former bank employee told The Jakarta Post last week that shortly after the government announced the closure of his bank on March 13, he and his colleagues spent two days in their office collecting data on the misdeeds of their employers.

"It's not only about the bad records of our bosses. We'll also disclose to the media the names of officials from Bank Indonesia which received bribes from our bank," the employee, who asked for anonymity, said.

According to him, workers at most of the other 37 closed banks also had collected similar data.

When asked why the workers would reveal the cases of malfeasance only if they failed to receive more severance pay, the employee simply said: "We're dealing with criminals in a country where money is always number one."

During the rally on Thursday, the laid off bank employees -- carrying posters and banners -- arrived at the building at 1:30 p.m. after marching from their respective banks along Jl. Sudirman.

They also carried with them an effigy of Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris.

Wearing headbands with the names of their respective banks, the workers pressed the management of Wisma Bank Danamon to allow them to meet IBRA chief Glenn Yusuf, whose office is located on the building's 30th floor.

They threatened to remain in the building's compound until Glenn met them to discuss their demands.

The workers insisted the agency and the bank owners immediately pay them compensation equal to 10 times their monthly salaries, Taufik said.

"We demand they agree on the severance pay by next Monday," he said.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for IBRA, Kemalsyah Siregar, deplored the rally because the bank employees earlier agreed to meet Glenn on Friday.

"Most of them are educated people. They should have given some sort of notification to us before coming here," Kemalsyah said.

Regarding their demands for more compensation, he said their severance pay could be slightly raised depending on the outcome of the next meeting (between IBRA) and the bank owners.

He said the agency would only provide compensation equal to two-month's salary according to existing manpower regulations.

"I think it might be possible that bank owners will give them more compensation," he said.

He said the severance pay was expected to be given to the workers at the end of this month.

The protesters left the building at 6 p.m. after Kemalsyah informed them Glenn was not in his office.

He said Glenn would meet the bank employees on Friday at about 1 p.m. as already had been agreed upon by both parties. (jun/bsr)