Golden Truly staff fight for rights

JAKARTA (JP): One hundred twenty-three former employees of the Golden Truly supermarket outlet in the popular Blok M shopping area in South Jakarta are keeping up their fight for higher severance pay after the store was closed in August.

Seven workers' representatives visited the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute on Tuesday to seek legal advice on the terms of their dismissal.

Spokesman Taryono said the workers are demanding that PT Golden Truly -- a company controlled by former president Soeharto's cousin Sudwikatmono -- provide severance pay in accordance with manpower regulations.

"The company only offered to give us half of the required severance pay, arguing that it had suffered big losses during the May riots."

More than 1,200 people died, most of them trapped in burning malls, during riots on May 13 to May 15. Arson, vandalism and looting caused billions of rupiah in material losses.

Taryono related how the supermarket was suddenly closed on Aug. 10 and the 226 employers dismissed in stages.

The Golden Truly supermarket in Blok M, one of its seven outlets in the capital operating in May, suffered losses from looting. At least three other outlets have also been shut.

In the first batch of dismissals at the Blok M store, 103 employees were provided with Rp 3 million each in severance pay as required by manpower regulations, Taryono said.

But the remaining workers did not receive the same treatment, he added, and were offered only half the amount. Workers had been employed from one year to five years.

Taryono said Golden Truly's management argued the firm suffered huge losses because workers stole merchandise from the supermarket's warehouse.

Workers have strongly rejected the allegation.

"We did not do it," Taryono said.

Workers countered that insurance covered any losses incurred in the riots.

None of the company's executives could be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Lawyer Surya Tjandra of the institute said that he would accompany the workers in a meeting with the firm's executives at the Central Committee of Labor Dispute Settlement of the Ministry of Manpower on Wednesday. (jun)