FSPM considering supporting strikers
FSPM considering supporting strikers
JAKARTA (JP): The Independent Workers Union Federation (FSPM)
for Hotels and Restaurants was contemplating calling a national
strike to show support for striking workers of Shangri-La Hotel,
the federation's president said on Monday.
Speaking at the office of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute
(LBH), Isep Saeful Mubarok who is also chairman of Grand Hyatt
Hotel's independent workers union, believes that other hotel
employees share a common fate with Shangri-La employees.
"For the time being we suggest our members wear black ribbons
on their arms. We might also suggest a strike if the problem
continues," Isep said.
The Federation comprises workers unions in several five star
hotels and restaurants, including Grand Hyatt, Shangri-La, Four
Seasons Regent, Hyatt Bandung and Holiday-Inn Bandung. It claims
to have 6,000 members.
The strike at the Shangri-La Hotel, which employs 1,114
employees including 990 are union members, began on Dec. 22.
A similar show of solidarity also came from the International
Union for Food, Hotels and Restaurants (IUF Asia Pacific).
IUF has sent a protest letter to President Abdurrahman Wahid
and Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration Al-Hilal Hamdi.
Isep said IUF Malaysia also promised to press businessman
Robert Kuok, who owns the Shangri-La hotel chain, to fulfill the
workers' demands.
Meanwhile, Shangri-La's Independent Workers Union (SPMS)
Spokesman Budi Susanto said the union refused the dismissal of
420 union members.
"We demand to be reemployed. We also urge that our earlier
demands be fulfilled by the hotel's management," Budi said on
Monday.
He said the workers mainly demanded a pension program and an
equal distribution of the hotel's service charges as stipulated
by a decree of the Ministry of Finance No. 2/1999.
He claims that the hotel collects the service charge,
amounting to an average of Rp 1.8 billion a month, but
distributes it unequally and unclearly. He did not elaborate on
the distribution.
"The service charge is our money, according to the decree.
It's not part of our salary," Budi said.(jun)