Hotel sacks union leader

Hotel sacks union leader

DENPASAR, Bali: An employee of the Bali Hyatt hotel has been sacked by the management who accused him of stealing 39 packs of Marlboro cigarettes, Antara news agency reported.

I Gede Ngurah, who is the head of the All-Indonesia Worker Union (SPSI) unit at the hotel, is contesting the management's action through the Bali Labor Dispute Settlement Committee.

Ngurah, who was the hotel's chief store keeper, said he had the consent of the store manager Bambang Supriono, to take the packets of "spoiled" cigarettes and to distribute them among other employees last December.

A month later, the management informed him that his employment had been terminated on the basis that he stole the cigarettes, said Ngurah.

His case was given a hearing with the dispute settlement committee for the first time on Thursday. (emb)