Multipolar workers stage rally

TANGERANG (JP): More than 1,200 employees of private retail company PT Multipolar Perkasa staged a protest in front of their head office in Karawaci over the weekend, demanding the company clarify their employment status.

The workers said the company, which manages Wal-Mart stores in Karawaci here and Pluit in North Jakarta, must give them severance pay in accordance with government regulations on the dismissal of workers if it planned to permanently close the currently idle stores.

"If Multipolar decides to stop the operation of its stores, we want the legitimate severance payment," the employees' spokesman, Tunggul, said.

The workers also demanded Multipolar, a subsidiary of the Lippo Group, to provide their May salaries soon and issue working references to them if the firm planned to close the stores, the spokesman said.

After an hour into the demonstration, the management invited representatives of the protesters to discuss their demands. The meeting's results have yet to be made available to the media.

The massive riots that rocked Jakarta and its surrounding areas on May 14 and 15 forced the firm to temporarily close their two huge stores, leaving at least 1,600 employees uncertain about their job status.

The Wal-Mart outlet at Lippo Supermal in Karawaci was badly damaged but the other store at Mega Mall Pluit was left unscathed by the looting mobs.

On Wednesday, more than 500 of the employees visited the Jakarta legal Aid Institute to seek legal advice.

Some of the workers have reportedly voluntarily left the company due to its bad financial performance. (41/jun)