FBR blocks ITC Cempaka Mas, demands jobs for locals
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Traffic along Jl. Letjen Suprapto in Central Jakarta was in complete chaos on Wednesday morning, as hundreds of members of the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR) blocked off the entrance to the International Trade Center (ITC) Cempaka Mas.
Thousands of employees of the shopping center were left standing outside on the street for almost four hours, while motorists simply turned off their cars' engines and got out of their vehicles to watch the proceedings.
Dozens of police officers were also present at the scene, sitting on the sidewalk. None of the FBR members responsible for the chaos and inconvenience were arrested.
The FBR blocked off the shopping center to force the ITC's management into giving jobs to the group's members.
"We wrote several letters to the management telling them to pay more attention to locals, but the letters were ignored. So we blocked off the building and, Alhamdullilah (praise Allah), the management was willing to speak with us," FBR leader Fadloli El Muhir said.
The ITC management invited FBR representatives to a meeting on Thursday to discuss the group's demands.
"We have not calculated the losses we suffered as a result of this action, but certainly trading was halted for several hours," ITC Cempaka Mas spokesman AJ Sutaktanto was quoted as saying by Antara news agency.
He said he did not know if the shopping center's management had received any letters demanding jobs for FBR members.
In a brief meeting on Wednesday, the FBR renewed its demand that the group's members be given jobs in the parking, security and cleaning departments.
The management said it would consider the demand, but also asked the FBR to keep in mind that employees had to meet certain standards.
One of the FBR representatives who attended the meeting on Wednesday, Hari, said that if the two sides failed to reach an agreement, the FBR would continue to "persuade" the shopping center's management.
"We won't blockade the shopping center again. We will just send representatives for further dialog," Hari said.
ITC Cempaka Mas, generally regarded as the city's busiest trade center, has 5,700 shops selling all types of goods.
The 25-hectare trade center also houses 620 shop-houses.