Maspion returns to six-day working week
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.