PPD bus drivers' strike leaves thousands stranded

PPD bus drivers' strike leaves thousands stranded

JAKARTA (JP): More than 1,500 employees, mostly drivers, of
state bus firm Perum PPD went on strike on Wednesday, demanding
last month's salary, pension and insurance payment, while
thousands of bus passengers were stranded.

The protesters, arriving in around 100 buses at the Ministry
of Transportation and Communication on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat,
Central Jakarta, complained that the company had not paid last
month's salary and the remaining half of their salary in
February.

Unfurling posters and banners, they also demanded that the
government replace the firm's current board of directors with
honest people.

Due to the strike, thousands of people were stranded in
various places across the city, despite the fact that the
authorities deployed 219 buses to cope with the problem.

The rally at the ministry lasted for six hours as
representatives of the demonstrators refused to discuss their
demand with the ministry's land transportation general director,
Susmono Soesilo. They insisted on meeting with Minister of
Transportation and Communication Agum Gumelar, who was attending
a Cabinet meeting.

Agum finally received five representatives of the workers in
the afternoon.

PPD's acting president Muchlasin R. admitted that salaries
were paid late because the company was still suffering from
monthly losses of Rp. 2.3 billion (US$230,000).

"We have been helped by the Ministry of Finance, but the
disbursement of the fund has not been smooth," Muchlasin told
workers.

He said the company earned Rp 5.6 billion every month from the
operation of its 525 buses while spending Rp 4.1 billion for
workers' salaries and allowances, and a further Rp 900 million
for fuel.

Without mentioning the amount, he said the company's income
was also used for maintenance costs, including the purchasing of
bus spare parts.

The company reportedly suffered Rp 400 billion losses from
1998 until last year. The government, which canceled its plan to
liquidate the firm, had to subsidize it with Rp 2.3 billion a
month.

Agum regretted that drivers were staging rallies as he claimed
that the government was still trying to improve the company's
management.

"We have prevented the company from liquidation but the
workers do not show any thanks," Agum told reporters.

He pledged to take action against certain company workers for
inciting colleagues to stage the strike on several occasions over
the past few months.

He viewed employees' demands were no longer "normal", saying
that certain groups were trying to take advantage and wanted the
company to become bankrupt.

"Their demands are too much and no longer normal," he said.

"It's as if we are giving 'milk' by healing the (ailing) firm,
but the workers give us poison in return. We have to take stern
action," he said.

The striking drivers are mostly members of the Indonesian
Welfare Workers Union (SBSI)'s transportation division.

Muchlasin said the bus management's efforts to heal the firm
include a plan to buy 100 new buses which would be financed by
investor PT Folgreen Indonesia, to replace current old buses.

He said the management was also trying to reduce the current
ratio of one bus to 10 employees, into five workers to one bus.

Separately, City Land Transportation and Traffic Control
Agency (DLLAJ) head Buyung Atang said his agency had deployed 219
additional buses, from Mayasari and Steady Safe bus firms, to
aide stranded passengers.

But he admitted that there were still stranded passengers at
terminals and on PPD bus routes. (jun)