PPD drivers' strike for salary rise enters second day

PPD drivers' strike for salary rise enters second day

JAKARTA (JP): Thousands of drivers, conductors and
administrative staff of state-owned Perum PPD bus company entered
their second day on strike on Tuesday to press their demand for a
minimum 100 percent hike in monthly salaries.

In the late afternoon, about 400 of the strikers went with
their wives and children to the Ministry of Communications to air
their grievance to minister Giri Suseno Hadihardjono.

Thousands of people in the capital have been stranded during
the two-day strike. Many have been forced to spend extra time in
finding alternative means to work or shopping centers.

Protesters claimed that "very few" of the 7,000 PPD workforce
defied the call to strike and continued to offer bus services.

On Monday, about 1,500 PPD employees held a sit-in at the
company's headquarters in Cawang, East Jakarta.

During the peaceful action, the protesters, who were from
different PPD bus pools throughout the capital, asked Giri to
effect a 120 percent increase in their monthly salary.

They proposed that the minister could alternately sell the
company's 700 buses and distribute the funds among all the PPD
employees.

On Tuesday afternoon, about 400 representatives from the 15
PPD bus pools in the city packed the auditorium of Giri's
ministry on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta.

They unfurled banners and posters, urging the minister to step
up efforts to raise the personnel's "welfare" and abolish
corruption in the company.

But they disassociated themselves from the demand to sell the
buses.

"We're on the same side with Monday's protesters, but we
disagree on the request to liquidate the company because such an
action would only further burden our lives," spokesman for the
protesters R. Damanik said.

About one hour after the arrival of the protesters, Giri and
other top ministry officials, including Director General of Land
Transportation Santo Budiono and the ministry's secretary-general
Anwar Supriyadi, met with them.

Giri told the PPD staff that his office would arrange a
tripartite meeting of the ministry, representatives of the
protesters and PPD to discuss a suitable salary increase.

The minister acknowledged the protesters' claim that they had
not received an increase in their monthly salary -- ranging from
Rp 100,000 to Rp 120,000 each -- in seven years.

"The Perum PPD management has been unable to raise salaries of
its staff because it has suffered losses during its operations,
particularly during the economic hardship," he said.

Giri also dismissed the suggestion to liquidate the company
and sell off the buses.

Following the protest, Damanik said PPD employees would return
to work as usual on Wednesday.

According to Giri, his ministry sought assistance from other
private bus companies to provide 340 of their reserve vehicles to
serve stranded commuters.

Separately, head of the city land transportation agency Buyung
Atang said the city administration prepared 220 extra buses to
deal with the strike.

"It's our obligation to serve the people," he said at City
Hall. "We've prepared the extra buses since Monday."

The extra buses were from privately owned companies, such as
Bianglala, Steady Safe, Giri Indah, Hiba Utama, Pahala Kencana
and Damri.

Asked about the planned increase in bus fares, Buyung said its
determination was still being made.

"The administration is still listening to input from the Land
Transportation Agency, the Association of Public Land
Transportation Owners (Organda), the Indonesian Consumers
Foundation and the City Regional Economic Bureau (Binekda) and we
have yet to reach an agreement," he said.

A source said Organda demanded an increase in fares of up to
200 percent, but the administration and the consumers association
only agreed to between 25 percent and 50 percent.

The source said the difference in the fare proposals was
mainly caused by the higher calculation set by Organda based on
extenuating factors, such as bank interest payments, bus costs,
load factors and employee salaries. (asa/ind)