Mandala stewardesses seek legal advice over dismissal

JAKARTA (JP): Forty Mandala Airlines stewardesses took legal advice yesterday over their dismissal last month, a decision they claim was groundless and unclear.

Wearing their yellow-and-white uniforms, the staff told executives of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute that their dismissals were baseless since the private airline's performance is currently improving.

"The company has just opened three new routes in addition to the previous 12 routes," Rika Wijayanti, the protesters' spokeswoman, said.

"It is also operating one more plane, making the total fleet nine planes."

The airline even raised the employees' salaries, which in January were halved on economic grounds.

Last month, the employees' monthly salaries -- ranging from Rp 150,000 (US$9) to Rp 1 million -- were cut only 10 percent, Rika said.

"It shows that the company's financial performance is getting better. So there's no legitimate reason to dismiss us," Rika said.

The stewardesses, who are seeking legal advice from the institute, also questioned the transparency of the decision.

"Why me? Why us? And why not the others?" Rika asked.

According to the stewardesses, Mandala dismissed them on June 9 through letters distributed by the office's cleaning service employees.

Some of the stewardesses were on pregnancy and maternity leaves when they received their letters, which, Rika said, violated manpower regulations.

The company invited the employees to discuss the dismissal but the parties failed to reach an agreement, she said.

During the meeting at the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute, the stewardesses demanded their in-flight service manager Lutfia Hidayatie and her assistants be fired by Mandala because of their unprofessional attitudes.

Institute lawyer Rita Olivia, who is representing the stewardesses, told the media that she invited Mandala's executives to attend yesterday's meeting.

In its response, the company said in a letter that the management refused to meet with the stewardesses, saying that the case has been handed over to the city office of the Ministry of Manpower.

Mandala's business director Armyn Siregar said in the letter that the company dismissed 40 of its 145 stewardesses because of the economic crisis.

Armyn said the company would give severance pay in accordance with the manpower regulations.

Rita said the institute will again ask the company to discuss the dispute at the institute's office.

"But if the company refuses to meet with the stewardesses, we will visit the company's head office on Jl. Angkasa, Central Jakarta to ask for an explanation," she said. (jun)