Paper retains its journalists' association membership

Paper retains its journalists' association membership

JAKARTA (JP): A local newspaper has denied ever attempting to
have seven journalists dropped from the Indonesian Journalists
Association (PWI), a witness told a court yesterday.

"The Suara Pembaruan daily has never reported the change in
status of these plaintiffs to the association," Marah Sakti
Siregar, secretary-general of the association, told the East
Jakarta district court.

Applications for membership to the association are usually
made by newspaper managements.

Seven journalists, who have worked for the newspaper for
between seven and 18 years, are suing the newspaper's general
manager, Albert Hasibuan, and publisher PT Media Interaksi Utama
for removing their names from the daily's masthead.

According to Petron Curie Nadeak, one of the senior
journalists at the daily, the lawsuit culminates a two-year-old
dispute.

On Nov. 16, 1994, the daily suspended the seven journalists on
the grounds that they had leaked company secrets to the mass
media.

In the same month, the publisher applied for permission from
the Local Committee for Resolving Labor Disputes to dismiss the
journalists and the request was granted.

The journalists' appealed to the Central Team for the
Settlement of Labor Disputes on 29 August 1995. On Nov. 11, 1995,
the team granted an appeal. The paper's management was told to
reinstate the journalists and pay them 50 percent of their
salaries from December 1994 to May 1995.

On Jan. 2, 1996, however, the journalists' names were removed
from the daily's masthead.

The journalists are demanding Rp 5 billion compensation for
what they construe as defamation.

The journalists are represented by lawyers from Amir
Syamsuddin and Associates law firm while the Suara Pembaruan
daily is represented by a law firm owned by the general manager
of the newspaper itself, Albert Hasibuan and Associates.

The hearing was adjourned until next Thursday. (14)