Many workers dismissed

BANDUNG: More than 5,600 workers in West Java have been dismissed in the past six years for various reasons, a local official said Wednesday.

The number only includes dismissals reported to the provincial manpower office between 1989 and March 1996, chief of the West Java manpower office Wazir Nuri said.

During the period, he said, the local government handled 29 labor disputes that ended in mass dismissals.

The office recorded 187 industrial disputes, most sparked by workers' demand for higher pay and bonuses and better facilities.

"Labor disputes are just natural. What counts is how the conflict is managed and amicably solved," he was quoted by Antara as saying. (pan)