Mayora workers demand lost wages

TANGERANG (JP): Hundreds of laid-off workers of publicly listed candy and biscuit producer PT Mayora Indah staged a rally here demanding they be paid in full until their dispute was legally settled.

During the rally, the workers blocked Jl. Telesonik where the company's factory is located, blocking trucks and other four- wheeled vehicles from entering the site.

After accepting the remaining half of their monthly wages, some of the workers held a sit-in in front of the factory to wait for the outcome of a discussion between 10 of their representatives and management.

One of the workers, Suyono, said they urged the company to pay them in full, while their dispute was being examined at the Jakarta Administrative Court.

"We demanded the company give us full wages during the legal process, as stated by a ministerial decree," he said.

He said Minister of Manpower Fahmi Idris had earlier rejected the company's decision to fire the workers.

According to the decree, Mayora was asked to reemploy the workers and pay their wages in full, he said.

But Mayora had appealed the decision and filed a lawsuit at the court requesting cancellation of the decree, he said.

In its provisional decision, the court decided to postpone implementation of the decree until the court issued a permanent decision regarding the lawsuit, Suyono said.

Meanwhile, Tangerang Manpower Office head Apon Suryana urged the workers and other related parties to obey the court's provisional decision.

"The provisional decision has been utilized by the employer not to pay the wages," he said.

Many of the workers taking part in the rally were earlier arrested on Tuesday night for conducting a rally in front of the Capital Market Supervisory Agency in Central Jakarta.

Among the arrested people were nongovernmental organization activists, including Wardah Hafidz and poet Afrizal Malna from the Urban Poor Consortium.

Lawyer Surya Tjandra of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute said Wardah was released at 11 p.m. on Wednesday.

"She was questioned as a suspect for instigating the workers rally," he said on Thursday.

Surya said it did not appear police would bring the case to court, because workers denied Wardah had provoked them.

He said lawyers acting for Wardah from the Women's Association for Justice Legal Aid and the Human Rights and Legal Aid Association were prepared if the case was brought to court. (41/jun)