Gamya taxi firm denies dismissing its drivers

Gamya taxi firm denies dismissing its drivers

JAKARTA (JP): The Gamya taxi company has never laid off or
fired its drivers, as mass layoffs are against government
regulations, the company's lawyer says.

Lawyer S.S.Helios Koento-Djojonegoro said in a letter dated
Feb. 7, 1996 any reports of mass dismissals at the taxi company
were completely baseless.

The letter is to deny The Jakarta Post's report on Jan. 24,
1996 which said that five former Gamya taxi drivers had filed a
lawsuit at the East Jakarta District court, claiming that the
company had dismissed them unfairly.

The report also said that six other drivers filed the same
lawsuit at the same court in November 1994.

According to the report, PT Gamya had told the court that it
dismissed 130 employees between April and June 1994 following
efforts by its drivers to establish a workers' union.

Lawyer Helios Koento strongly denied the reports, saying in
the letter that 13, not 130 drivers as was erroneously reported,
had staged a demonstration. Some other protests had also taken
place involving around 30 people, including the drivers' families
and relatives.

The lawyer did not elucidate on when and where the protests
took place.

"The protesters didn't get any satisfaction after they lodged
their complaints with the University of Indonesia, the House of
Representatives, the National Commission on Human Rights," she
said.

The lawyer said that the group was allegedly led by a former
employee, Novri.

When Jakarta hosted the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
(APEC) meeting in 1994, they planned to go strike, she said. "The
plan failed, as other drivers refused to join the strike."

The lawyer also said that her client would not break the
government's regulations on the establishment of workers' unions.

"We have been working out to discuss the setting up of union
at Gamya with the Ministry of Manpower. But the group withdrew
from further discussions," she said. "The establishment of
workers' union could not be done due to the request of only 13
out of 700 drivers".

Speaking of the employees' corps in the company, the lawyer
said that the corps establishment was in line with the
gubernatorial decree. "The Transportation Owners Association,
Organda, which is recognized by the government, still
acknowledges that the corps is a legal organization," she said.

One-sided reports on the drivers' protests could lead to the
cancellation of some business deals between PT Gamya and its
overseas partners in Canada and New Zealand, among others, Helios
Koento said. (sur)