Firm insists on worker suspensions

JAKARTA (JP): The management of an electronics firm based in Cibinong, Bogor, plans to stick to a previous decision to suspend 17 of its workers for participating in a strike.

"We have submitted our decision to the Ministry of Manpower. Let the ministry decide on the matter," the human resources manager of PT Singamip Jaya Electronics Enterprise, Tumpal Butar Butar, said Monday in a meeting at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute.

Tumpal, however, would not give detailed responses to questions raised by the workers' lawyer from the institute, Surya Tjandra, during the meeting.

Tumpal only said the decision was based on the fact that the workers participated in a strike at the company's compound and later demonstrated at the Ministry of Manpower last Wednesday, violating Article 74 of Law 25/1997 on conducting strikes.

Surya insisted yesterday that conducting a strike or demonstration was a public right upheld by law.

"We even asked the company to negotiate with us over the dispute first before submitting our grievances to the Ministry of Manpower since that would not benefit either party," Surya told The Jakarta Post.

He said his clients had strongly urged the company, which mainly exports its products to the United States, Singapore, the Philippines, India and Malaysia, to revoke its decision.

Surya said the workers would soon meet the company's factory manager, V. Alex Krishman, to discuss the matter since Tumpal could not provide satisfactory answers to their questions.

The suspended workers' monthly salary of Rp 172,500 (US$11.33) will be cut in half due to their new company status. (jun)