Ex-PTDI employees clash with police

Ex-PTDI employees clash with police

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

Thousands of former employees at aircraft manufacturer PT
Dirgantara Indonesia clashed with some 400 police on Tuesday as
they demanded to be allowed to resume work.

No injuries were reported in the clash, which occurred in
front of the company's factory gates in Bandung.

The incident began at 7.30 a.m when the workers descended on
the factory at the Husein Satranegara Air Force base on Jl.
Padjajaran. As they arrived they were stopped by police.

Intent on entering the compound, the workers tried to force
police aside, shoving and pushing them. The police fought back.

One worker bared his bottom to police to express his anger.

The employees went to the factory after the Bandung District
Court last week ruled in favor of their union's lawsuit, which
said the firing of the 6,000 employees by the firm was illegal.

It ordered the company to allow the employees to resume work.

Union secretary general A.M. Bone met with Air Force base
deputy chief Lt. Col. Firdaus Syarief and West Bandung Police
deputy chief Adj. Comr. Tomax Kurniawan but both refused to allow
the employees to enter the compound.

The workers could not enter unless they had a letter from the
court saying the ruling had been executed, they said.

The workers went home peacefully at midday.

The three defendants in the suit were the management of the
ailing company, the office of the State Minister for State
Enterprises and the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA).

The court ruled an extraordinary shareholders meeting held by
the three defendants in August was illegal. At the meeting they
decided to dismiss the employees.