Fired workers demand severance payments

Fired workers demand severance payments

TANGERANG (JP): Some 700 out of 1,200 dismissed workers
of PT Bertoni Sari Jaya, a shoe manufacturer in the Manis
Industrial Zone on Jl. Raya Serang, Banten, staged a rally at the
Tangerang manpower office on Monday, demanding their overdue
severance pay.

The rally was marred with violence as protesters threw stones
and broke several windows of the manpower office.

The angry workers claimed they were deceived three times by
company president director Andrianto Wijaya, who has delayed
handing over payments.

The workers arrived in five trucks at the manpower office on
Jl. Raya Cikokol in front of the Cikokol bus terminal at 3 p.m.

"On June 29, 2001, the company director made an agreement with
workers that he would make severance payments on July 9," one of
the workers' representatives, Hakim, told The Jakarta Post.

He said that the agreement was witnessed by the head of the
Tangerang manpower office, Hasan Affandi, and local councilor
Eddy Suyanto.

He said the director failed to make the payments in due time
and promised to pay on July 13, but then it was delayed until
July 20. The workers have still not received any money.

"We have been at the manufacturer's office since Friday, but
none of the company's management will meet with workers to
clarify the reason for the persistent delays," a worker, Darmin,
said.

Darmin said the management halted all activities at the
manufacturing plant on June 30 and dismissed 1,200 workers due to
financial problems.

Meanwhile, councilor Eddy Suyanto, who has received a dozen
workers' representatives at the manpower office, told the workers
that he had talked on the phone with PT Bertoni director,
Andrianto, who told him that the company's assets and funds were
not enough to pay out severance payments.

"Andrianto told me that he was still trying to collect money
from several other sources, and to please be patient," Eddy told
the workers.

"We are tired of the promises and our stomachs cannot be
compromised since we don't have anything to feed our families,"
Darmin told the legislator.

Darmin said the workers had vowed not to leave the manpower
office until the company director came out and paid them. He
alleged that the director had moved some company assets from the
closed manufacturing plant to his two other plants in Serpong and
Tangerang.

Pasaribu, a lawyer who represented the company, said that the
director was willing to make installments on the amount owed to
workers and asked them to be patient.

But the workers were doubtful, saying that the lawyer had also
once deceived them.(01)