Poor reporting on Garuda

Poor reporting on Garuda

The facts reported in The Jakarta Post regarding the Garuda
pilots' pay dispute with the management have fluctuated radically
in the past few weeks.

On Jan. 25, according to the Post, Garuda management claimed
that pilots received "about 40 percent" of total wage payments.
On Jan. 26, without explanation, that figure was cut by half to
20 percent. Since then, no estimate has been included in the Post
reports.

On Jan. 25, the management claimed 628 pilots flew for Garuda,
or over 9 percent of the total workforce including "over 6,000
other employees". But the following day the same management
spokesperson claimed pilots comprised only 6.6 percent of the
total Garuda workforce.

For weeks the Post reported that pilots currently receive
between Rp 7.9 million and Rp 22.8 million per month. But on Feb.
10, the Post reported pilots now receive between Rp 5.5 million
and Rp 22.5 million.

Also in the article the writer reported "... management agreed
to pay the pilots and co-pilots at an amount slightly lower than
their demands but the pilots stuck to their demands". But
according to the Post on Feb. 8, the Garuda Pilots Association
had reduced its demand significantly in the previous week, from a
range of Rp 47.1 million to Rp 88.8 million, to between Rp 13.8
million and Rp 24.1 million.

At the same time, however, according to the Post, management
changed its offer from between Rp 13 million to Rp 24.6 million
(Jan. 26), to between Rp 13.1 million to Rp 22.7 million, an
apparent reduction from their previous offer to the most
experienced pilots. According to the Post's other reports then,
management is the side that failed to move toward compromise.

Can passengers believe Garuda is doing the most it can to
retain quality pilots at these pay rates? What is management's
real attitude toward safety?

The Post reported on several occasions that Garuda management
claimed it had a "contingency plan" in case of a strike, and that
only about 20 of 686 pilots (again, their number has changed)
supported the union's strike plan. But on Feb. 8 and Feb. 10 the
Post reported that Garuda was asking the police to step in to
stop the strike. Is that the "contingency plan" management came
up with: Reverting to the days when strikes were broken by
police?

RUDY PORTER, Field Representative, American Center for
International Labor Solidarity, Indonesia Office, Jakarta

Note: Thank you for your comments. --Editor