Ex-Texmaco workers seek council support

Ex-Texmaco workers seek council support

BANDUNG, West Java: After five months of unsuccessful lobbying
at the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Manpower,
workers at the textile manufacturer Texmaco's plants in Subang
sought support for a wage hike from the West Java Provincial
Council.

Around 50 workers came to the Council building on Wednesday to
air their demands. They represented 689 workers of three Texmaco
plants in Subang who were fired last April after staging a
protest demanding a 30 percent raise from Rp 299,000 (US$37.4) a
month.

"We came here to get the recommendation from the councillors
as tomorrow (Thursday) we will negotiate with the company and the
committee of the regional labor dispute settlement over our
demands," said the workers' spokesperson Yadi Ferdian.

The workers rejected the claim provided by the company that
the raise was impossible as the company is only operating on 40
percent of its production capacity.

"We have found out that 52 percent of the company's shares
have been acquired by the government," Yadi said.

Councillor Joko Santoso of Commission E on public welfare then
handed over the council's letter of recommendation, expressing
its disagreement with the employees' dismissal. "Commission E
members will come to the Ministry of Manpower and its Subang
branch office on Saturday to discuss the matter." (25/09)