Firm's guards irked over dismissal

JAKARTA (JP): At least 20 security guards working at concrete manufacturer PT Jaya Readymix (Jayamix) complained to the National Commission on Human Rights on Thursday over the company's refusal to pay wages and overtime.

The guards' spokesman, Suwardi, said the company, an Australian-Indonesian joint venture, had refused to pay their bi- monthly wages of Rp 120,000 (US$11.40) over the last two weeks on the grounds that it had reportedly dismissed them.

The 20 people were among 50 security guards who were reportedly fired on Aug. 31. The 50 guards were supplied by security guard agency PT Ginde Jaya Purna Sejati.

"We've never received any dismissal letters. We still work everyday at the firm. How will we feed our families if we are not paid," Suwardi said.

Jayamix president Greg Curtis had insisted that the guards were not his employees and decided to terminate the contract with Ginde Jaya.

Curtis said on Aug. 19 that his company planned to recruit its own security guards.

The guards said they only heard of Ginde Jaya, whose president was Jayamix's security chief, after they staged a demonstration to demand a wage increase in March, Suwardi said.

"PT Ginde Jaya was set up to engineer our dismissal as Jayamix's security guards. We all sent our application letters to Jayamix not Ginde Jaya," he said.

The Jakarta office of the Ministry of Manpower decided on Aug. 20 that the 50 guards were employed by Jayamix and asked the company to pay the overtime payments worth a total of Rp 570 million, he said.

The company never paid overtime to the guards, who work 12 hours a day, seven days a week, Suwardi said, adding that the guards had been working with the company for between two and 10 years.

Manpower regulations state that official working hours should be eight hours a day, six days a week.

He said the company increased their wages to Rp 240,000 a month as of July after the demonstration. The wages were given every two weeks."

"But it was only for two months. We have not been paid since."

Commission staffer Gunarto promised the guards, who were accompanied by lawyers from the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI), to deliver their demands to related parties.

Gunarto also promised to send a warning letter to Jayamix.

The security guards said they planned to hold a demonstration at the company's head office on Jl. Warung Buncit, South Jakarta, on Friday. (jun)