Over 12,500 workers lose jobs in Bekasi

JAKARTA (JP): The Bekasi branch of the All-Indonesia Workers Union Federation has helped arranged the dismissal of 12,586 workers between October 1997 and last month, an official said over the weekend.

The branch's secretary, R. Abdullah, said that the federation's role included mostly negotiations on severance pay the fired workers were entitled to.

Throughout last year, the federation helped settle 123 labor disputes in Bekasi, the highest it has handled ever, Abdullah said.

In the past, the number of industrial disputes handled had never exceeded 100 a year, he said.

"The current economic crisis has forced more and more companies to close down," he said, reported Antara. (pan)