Maspion returns to six-day working week
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The management of plastic goods producer PT Maspion eventually heeded to the demands of its employees and scrapped its five-day working week regulation, which had prompted thousands of its workers to go on strike for the past three days.
After a series of talks with its workers on Thursday, PT Maspion Human Resources Director Adi Chandra said the company would restore its earlier system of a six-day working week.
He underlined the company would not hesitate to take stern action against any employees violating the management's latest decision.
"Should any employee violate the newly endorsed system, the company will not be responsible and security officers will take stern measures," Adi said, as quoted by Antara news agency.
The decision ended the standoff between the company's management and workers, which erupted after the management decided to cut working hours starting in July to improve efficiency.
Workers welcomed the decision made by the management on Thursday and peacefully left the factory's compound in Sidoarjo, East Java, and agreed to start working on Friday as requested by the management.
Hours after the meeting, the factory was deserted, though dozens of police remained on alert. Few workers were seen gathering around the complex.
Meanwhile, East Java's media community continued to press the police to resolve an incident on Wednesday in which five Maspion workers and a Kompas journalist were injured.
In the earlier strike, a clash broke out between the police and the workers, when the police fiercely beat the protesters and the journalist, Wisnu Dewabrata.
Wisnu's camera was seized by the police, and he was taken into custody. All the injured workers were rushed to nearby clinics and released after receiving treatment.
The incident had provoked mounting protest from the media, which demanded a full investigation into the brawl. The police promised to fulfill the demand.
The East Java chapter of the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) had sent an official letter demanding stern measures to be taken against policemen involved in the incident.
"We demand that the chief of East Java Police unravel the case and take stern measures against the policemen. We have demanded that the names of the perpetrators be announced during the commemoration of Police Day on July 1," local PWI official Joko Tetuko said.
The clash made police cautious while guarding Thursday's strike and Sidoarjo Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Aris Nurhandayani led the police personnel to the site.
Hundreds of policemen have been erecting barbed wire to keep the strikers from entering the factory compound. Aris promised there would be no more clashes with the police.