Keep protests off toll roads, says Gen. Roesmanhadi

JAKARTA (JP): Following a protest on Tuesday by laid-off factory workers on a major city thoroughfare, the National Police chief on Wednesday ordered head of the Jakarta Police Maj. Gen. Noegroho Djajoesman not to tolerate protests along toll roads to prevent traffic jams.

"I've told the Jakarta Police chief that protests on the toll roads are prohibited. I've also ordered him not to tolerate such an incident again in the future," Gen. Roesmanhadi told reporters before attending a plenary Cabinet session at Bina Graha presidential office.

Such protests cause traffic jams, he said.

Roesmanhadi made the remarks in response to the occupation of part of Jl. Gatot Subroto in front of the Ministry of Manpower by about 1,000 laid-off workers of cookie producer PT Mayora on Tuesday. The protesters demanded higher severance payments.

After the protesters were denied entry to the ministry compound, they staged a sit-down action on the nearby roadway and toll road, jamming traffic.

Two men died from injuries sustained after falling from an open van when the vehicle had to stop suddenly near the protesters at about 7 p.m.

Roesmanhadi urged protesters to convey their messages in line with existing regulations. "If they insist on doing what they like, we can also do the same," he said.

Meanwhile, Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris explained that the ministry closed its gates to prevent the protesters occupying his offices, as they did earlier.

"Protesters from the same company camped at the ministry's compound for one week. Their activities affect my work," he said.

He said that the protesters sleeping along the pavement and blocking the road was not his business, but was the responsibility of police. "The most important thing is that the protesters' activities do not disturb me so that I can do all my work smoothly," he said.

"If I were the police, I would put the protesters in order as their activities disturb public order," he said, adding that if stern action was not taken against them, not only would the toll road be occupied, but other government buildings as well.

The minister also expressed concern over the reluctance of PT Mayora's management to settle the problem with its workers.

"The problem is that the company has not been proactive in settling its dispute with the workers," he said.

The Ministry of Manpower would intervene in the conflict only if regulations were violated, he said.

The protesters said that the dispute started on April 20 when the workers demanded that the company raise wages by 30 percent.

The company, however, insisted on raising wages by only 18 percent.

Discussions between company representatives and employees broke down and Mayora fired 1,400 workers on April 31.

Meanwhile, Fahmi vetoed all the decisions taken by the Central Team for the Settlement of Labor Disputes (P4P) on the layoff of Mayora's workers, Apon Suryana, head of the Tangerang office of the Ministry of Manpower said.

Under Ministerial Decree No. 856/1999 dated May 31, the minister ordered the management of the company to reemploy the workers, Apon said.

Based on the decree, the workers should return to work at least 14 days after the issuance of the decree, he said.

However, the workers are obliged to report to the management starting on Thursday before being reemployed. Failure to show up will be considered notification of their resignation, Apon said.

The management is obliged to pay the workers' wages starting in May, he said, adding that, under the decree, all the demands by the workers during the protest would be met.

Other demands include an increase in the daily meal allowance from Rp 1,000 to Rp 4,000 and for a guarantee that the company will pay the workers' income tax.

Representatives from the management could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. (prb/41/hhr)