No agreement on Shangri-La dispute

JAKARTA (JP): A hearing at the House of Representatives between workers and management of the Shangri-La Hotel and officials of the Ministry of Manpower on Thursday failed to reach any significant agreement.

The hearing at the House's Commission VII for manpower and social welfare affairs, led by legislator Jacob Nuwawea, decided that the hotel management should discuss the case with workers in a bi-party meeting before deciding any dismissal.

"We decided that you have to meet at the Jakarta office of the Manpower Ministry on Monday," Jacob of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said before closing the hearing.

Jacob's decision was made quickly after his suggestion that the disputed parties should discuss the case without the involvement of the Manpower Ministry was rejected by the hotel's management.

During the hearing, Shangri-La's Asia Chief Operating Officer John Segreti refused the House's offer, saying that the management had handed over the dispute to the Manpower Ministry.

"We regret that we could no longer discuss it. We could not sacrifice our principles and legal rights," John said.

But after the hearing, he told The Jakarta Post that he accepted the House's suggestion (to meet the workers at the Manpower Ministry office).

Chairman of the Shangri-La Independent Workers Union (SPMS) Halilintar Nurdin viewed that the management's rejection to discuss the dispute showed its arrogance.

"You can see that they were very arrogant by rejecting the House's offer to discuss it in a bi-party meeting," Halilintar, accompanied by dozens of the hotel's workers wearing white headbands, said after the hearing.

He said the workers demanded that the management re-employ all workers who have been on strike since Dec. 22.

Besides re-employment, he said they also demanded a pension fund and distribution of service charges according to Manpower Minister regulation No. 2/1999.

He said at least 420 members, including all executives of the union had received dismissal letters because they joined the strike, which ended in their evacuation from the Hotel to the Central Jakarta Police precinct on Dec. 26. The workers would be given compensation of between one-and-a-half the basic salary and four times the basic salary.

The workers said that their basic salary was only Rp 280,000 a month which is below the official basic salary of Rp 384,000.

Shangri-La's general manager Peter J. Carmichael denied on Thursday that management had so far paid their employees below the official basic salary.

Peter said the employees were paid above the official basic salary as they were also given transportation fees averaging Rp 100,000 a month. (jun)