Golden Truly staff fight for rights

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)