Ex Shangri-La employees told to tone it down
Ex Shangri-La employees told to tone it down
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The management of Shangri-La Hotel has urged its former employees
not to stage rowdy rallies that bother hotel patrons while
waiting for a Supreme Court ruling on their reemployment at the
hotel.
"The former employees' action of staging rallies not only
disrupt public order but also discourage guests from staying at
our hotel," senior manager Wastu Widanto said on Friday.
"They are free to stage rallies but they must also remember
that management is responsible for the wellbeing of its current
900 employees."
Both the management and former employees were engaged in a
legal battle after 77 former employees rejected their dismissal
from the hotel's employ after they went on strike for better
welfare and working conditions in December 2000.
The strike forced the hotel to close down for about three
months before it reopened in March 2001.
The hotel fired 579 employees, grouped in the Mandiri Labor
Union (FSPM), after they occupied and vandalized the hotel, which
forced the management to evacuate guests to other hotels.
Following the mass dismissal, most of the employees agreed to
be fired or resign from the hotel and in return were to receive
compensation packages from the management.
The hotel management claimed that the former employees were
using loudspeakers to express their demands as well as unfurling
banners.
"By using loudspeakers, they not only disturb our guests, but
also tenants of nearby office buildings, especially those renting
space at Wisma 46," said human resources director Tausa Faisal
Tjandraatmadja.
"They also obstruct vehicle movement into the hotel compound
by distributing leaflets, causing inconvenience to our guests."
Faisal said the hotel would reemploy the 77 former employees
if the Supreme Court so ordered.
"But they cannot expect to get back their former positions
because we must take into consideration current employment
conditions at the hotel."