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)