Ministry to mediate garment factory rift

BEKASI, West Java (JP): The Bekasi office of the Manpower Ministry has promised to mediate a dispute between a garment factory's management and its 500 employees who went strike last Thursday.

The workers struck for two days in demand of overtime pay, menstruation and maternity leave for female workers, transportation for evening workers, a social security (Jamsostek) scheme and the establishment of a union.

The management has agreed to all worker demands except overtime pay

An executive of the Bekasi branch of the Workers Union Federation, M. Yadun Mufid, said the meeting between the employees and the management of PT Lieka Alfatama would be held at the Manpower Ministry office tomorrow.

Yadun said the Manpower Ministry's involvement was significant to the employees who were dissatisfied with the management's refusal to pay for overtime work.

"The workers deserve overtime pay if they work more than seven hours a day or 40 hours a week based on the manpower regulation," he said.

According to Manpower Ministry regulations industrial disputes should be settled by the local Manpower Ministry office before going to the Provincial Arbitrary Body at the Manpower Ministry Provincial office, he said.

Setiawan, one of the workers, said he was happy the management had agreed to most of the workers' demands.

He said 20 workers had to make 257 garments a day which took more than nine hours. "We have often worked from 7.30 am. to 9 p.m. to reach the target."

The company's human resources manager, Bernard Hutabarat, acknowledged the Manpower Minister regulation was compulsory. (kod)