Minister calls for boycott of garuda over extortion

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Minister of Manpower and Transmigration Jacob Nua Wea on Wednesday threatened to call a boycott of Garuda Indonesia unless the national air carrier canceled its decision to raise the airfare for Indonesian workers bound for Saudi Arabia by US$100.

Jacob did not skimp on his criticism, charging that the national airline was unpatriotic.

"Write this down: Garuda is extorting migrant workers!" the minister told journalists.

As a company wholly owned by the government, Jacob said he would try to get the increase rescinded through a meeting involving the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister of Communication and Garuda management.

There was no confirmation as to when the meeting would be held.

But if Garuda refused to lower its fares for migrant workers, Jacob warned that he would personally urge labor exporting companies to boycott Garuda when sending workers abroad.

"There are many other airlines who can give us a cheaper price and provide better service to the workers," the minister said, adding that the unilateral airfare raise was inhumane to the workers who had sacrificed so much to work abroad.

Earlier, the head of the Gotong Royong Autonomy Body, Yunus Yamani, was also quoted by Antara as urging labor exporters to boycott Garuda if the airline increased its fare.

Yunus said there was no reason for Garuda to raise ticket prices given that other airlines were offering more competitive prices.

According Husein Alaydrus, head of the Association of Labor Export Companies (APJATI), Garuda was already enjoying significant profits by flying between 13,000 to 15,000 Indonesian migrant workers abroad each month.

He also said that Garuda's unilateral move to raise the ticket price for migrant workers was disturbing.

If the members of APJATI reached a joint agreement, then labor export companies would stop using Garuda to fly their workers abroad, Husein warned.

No comment was immediately forthcoming from Garuda Indonesia officials on Wednesday.