JAL's local staff demand wage hike

JAKARTA (JP): Local staff of Japan Airlines (JAL) in Jakarta, Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and Denpasar, Bali on Thursday repeated their call to the management for an annual wage increase.

"We're asking for a salary adjustment of 45 percent. But it's not a final price. It's negotiable. But we will not accept the management's across the board offer of Rp 100,000 per month," Joneka M.K. Kandou, secretary of JAL's branch of the All Indonesia Workers' Union, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

According to Joneka, the demand by the 60 local employees is still in accordance with the article in the collective labor agreement jointly signed by the management and the employees' representatives. The agreement is valid until next year.

The staff at the JAL ticketing section also urged the management to quickly review its decision to transfer Dessy Multihana, the union's chairman and a mother of two, to a night shift at the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

"We've asked the management to explain why Dessy could not be replaced by our another colleague who is willing to take over her position. Such a change is an unusual thing in this company. But the management insisted that the decision is final," said Joneka, who was accompanied by Dessy and the union's vice chairman, Yudhi.

According to the JAL local staff, Dessy is about to be dismissed by their employers.

"At this time, the management has only issued a letter prohibiting me to enter any of JAL's premises," Dessy said.

Dessy's transfer, they said, is related to the strong union demands to fight for an annual hike in the workers' salary as formulated by the collaborative labor agreement in August.

The management may be unhappy with her demands and therefore have decided to move her to a place where she might be uncomfortable. She has repeatedly refused to accept the management's offer of a Rp 100,000 payrise.

From early this month, all of the local JAL staff have been wearing a red ribbon on their arms to express their dissatisfaction with the management's treatment of Dessy and their refusal to agree to a salary hike.

"We have yet to decide whether we will go on strike or not. One thing is clear: That we will wear a big ribbon next week should our demands fail to be met." Joneka said.

A senior local staffer at Ngurah Rai International Airport confirmed his, and his colleagues, support.

"We're all behind our colleagues in Jakarta. We have to teach a lesson to the management this time," the airport employee, who asked not to be named, told The Jakarta Post.

When asked for confirmation, Hideki Moriyama, JAL's regional and airport administration manager, denied the employees' accusations.

"They're mixing up the facts," Moriyama said.

Dessy's transfer was strictly the company's decision and had nothing to do with her effort as union chairperson to fight for a salary hike, he said.

"We cannot negotiate Dessy's transfer," Moriyama added.

About the employees' demand for a salary hike, Moriyama said that the management and the employees "are still talking about the matter with the help of the manpower ministry".

He also asked local staff to consider JAL's significant losses over the past seven consecutive years.

"But we hope that this matter can be solved in a harmonious way," Moriyama said.

JAL serves two flights per day from Jakarta and Denpasar to Tokyo and Osaka.

According to Joneka, the Jakarta-Denpasar-Tokyo flights is one of JAL's "fat routes".

"We know that the flights are always full. Thus there's no reason for the management to give us only a Rp 100,000 hike." Joneka said. (bsr)