Minister calls for boycott of garuda over extortion

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would try to get the increase rescinded through a meeting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.