PGN workers donate wages

JAKARTA (JP): Employees of the state-owned gas distributor, PGN, have agreed to donate all or part of their January salaries to the government to help in fighting the economic crisis, the company president announced yesterday.

A Qoyum Tjandranegara said directors would contribute the total amount of their salaries, and the rest of the employees would contribute half.

He said the measure was taken following an agreement between management and employee representatives.

"We are doing this to show our concern for the country's economic crisis. Many of us don't have any dollars to participate in the Love Rupiah campaign," Qoyum said, referring to the ongoing move to have citizens change dollars into rupiah.

The currency has depreciated sharply against the U.S. dollar since the middle of last year.

Qoyum said the donation would reach about Rp 1 billion (US$125,000), which would be delivered to the central bank next month.

He said the company had not forced its employees to participate in the campaign, but that they had chosen to make the donations of their own accord.

PGN has 1,400 employees nationwide. (jsk)