Minister blames Garuda

JAKARTA: PT Garuda Indonesia should be held responsible for the employment status of 14 medical doctors and dentists who had been employed on an outsourcing basis by its subsidiary, PT Garuda Sentra Medika (GSM), Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nuwa Wea said on Sunday.

Jacob said that Garuda must be held accountable as it had "employed" the medical personnel, who had been supplied by an unauthorized outsourcing company, PT Wahana Garuda Purnakarya (WGP).

"I checked with officials at the Jakarta Manpower Agency and my ministry only to find that WGP did not have the required permits to supply manpower to Garuda when it recruited the 14 medical personnel," the minister said.

According to dentist Retno Wulandari, she and her 13 colleagues had been working for GSM on an outsourcing basis for five years. They were now demanding that they be given permanent employee status.

GSM said the dispute was the responsibility of WGP, which eventually fired the medical personnel. --Antara