Factory workers want union leaders reinstated
Factory workers want union leaders reinstated
JAKARTA (JP): Workers of a cable factory in the Pulogadung
industrial complex, East Jakarta, are demanding the reinstatement
of 11 union leaders which they say were fired by the management.
They told city councilors yesterday that the management of PT
Indo Tri Jaya Industries in East Jakarta plans to fire other
workers after dismissing the 11 leaders on May 9 and four other
workers as of Tuesday.
The private company employs 512 workers, mostly on a daily
basis. Some have been employed by the company for 20 years.
The reason the management gave for the dismissals prompted
other workers to go on strike for the past two weeks, workers
said over the weekend.
The head of the City Council's Commission E for social
welfare, Atje Mulyadi, said the commission regrets that its
efforts to solve the problem by inviting the management has not
received adequate response.
He read a letter of apology from the company director, D.
Rangkuti, who said the management cannot meet the commission, but
that it is trying to solve its "internal problem" with the city
office of the Ministry of Manpower.
"But it turns out this internal problem has been settled by
firing 11 union leaders. I don't think that's the solution," Atje
said.
"This is an insult to the council as the invitation to the
management was signed by the City Council Speaker M.H. Ritonga,"
Atje said.
Another councilor revealed the management has also not
responded to invitations by the city office of the Ministry of
Manpower.
Workers said that in the absence of their union leaders who
were negotiating better work conditions with the management, they
had no option but to strike.
"We also know there is a pile of dismissal letters to be
issued," said Achmad Riadi, a spokesman of the 50-person
delegation which met with the councilors.
The union, led by Sanggem, were negotiating better pay and
allowances with the management. Daily wages of a worker with 20
years of service, for instance, is Rp 11,000 (US$ 4.68) with
allowances covering only a transportation allowance of Rp 600 and
a meal allowance of Rp 800. (anr)