Probosutedjo, Soeharto on losing end in workers' suit

Probosutedjo, Soeharto on losing end in workers' suit

JAKARTA (JP): A judge at the Central Jakarta District Court
ruled on Tuesday that former president Soeharto and businessman
Probosutedjo pay Rp 435 million (US$54,375) for unlawfully
dismissing 80 handicapped workers from their jobs at a workshop
in August last year.

"The management of the Swa Prasidya Purna Workshop for the
Handicapped dismissed the workers without earlier obtaining
proper authorization from the Harapan Kita Foundation, which
owned the workshop," presiding judge Ali Akmal said in a hearing
crowded with dozens of former workers of the workshop.

"The workshop board of management had indeed received an
approval from Soeharto, the chairman of the foundation, to close
the workshop due to the economic crisis.

"The move, however, violated the workshop's statutes, which
requires approval from the Harapan Kita Foundation Board of
Executives before the workshop management could close the
workshop," said Ali.

Probosutedjo, chairman of the workshop, announced in August
last year that the workshop was bankrupt. The announcement led to
the automatic dismissal all the workers, including the 80
handicapped staff. Probosutedjo is Soeharto's half brother.

Ali said the foundation had neglected its responsibility to
maintain the existence of the workshop.

"The foundation should seek new sponsors to save the workshop
and to prevent any workers' dismissals," he said.

He said the panel of judges rejected the first defendant
workshop management's defense statement, which argued that the
workshop-workers relationship was merely "voluntarily."

"The court found working relations between the two parties, as
stipulated in an agreement sponsored by the Manpower Ministry's
Committee on Labor Dispute Settlement, on the workers' severance
pay," Ali said.

The committee ordered the management of the workshop last year
to disburse the severance pay to help settle the dispute.

The 80 disabled workers filed a lawsuit with the court early
this year against their dismissal. Probosutedjo was named as the
first suspect, with Soeharto the second.

The workers demanded the two defendants pay compensation of Rp
103.8 billion (US$15.7 million).

Ali said the court was not responsible for issuing the verdict
on the severance pay, citing that it was the responsibility of
the labor dispute settlement committee.

Ali said the first and the second defendants were ordered to
pay all the workers' expenditures for monthly telephone and
electricity bills.

"The defendants, together, have compensated for the workers'
losses, worth Rp 35 million (US$ 4,375)," he said.

The judge said the two defendants also had to pay the
immaterial losses suffered by the workers for the prosecution.

"The two defendants must pay Rp 400 million for immaterial
losses within eight days after the issuance of the verdict," said
Ali.

The workers abruptly shouted "Alhamdulillah" (Thank God) and
"Allahu Akbar" (Allah the Great) after the presiding judge
completed the reading of the verdict.

Syamsul Hadi, one of Probosutedjo lawyers, said after the
hearing that his camp would lodge an appeal with the Jakarta High
Court. (asa)