PT Pos employees demand salary hike

PT Pos employees demand salary hike

JAKARTA (JP): Some 2,000 employees of state-owned postal
service and courier firm PT Pos Indonesia staged a rally on
Monday at the company's Jakarta office on Jl Lapangan Banteng
Utara in Central Jakarta, demanding a salary increase and
improved benefits.

The employees, who started the rally at 8 a.m., left the
office at 9 a.m. to forward their aspirations to the Ministry of
Transportation and Telecommunications on Jl Merdeka Barat, which
is some 500 meters away from the office. They then moved on to
the finance ministry to air similar aspirations.

Chairman of PT Pos Indonesia Workers Union (SPPI) Gibson
Sihombing said the rally was held because PT Pos Indonesia
executives had yet to comply with a March 12, 2001 joint
agreement between the executives and the union.

He said both parties had agreed on an increase in the
employees' salary, which has never once been raised in the past
10 years, of their health allowance, and the eradication of
collusion, corruption and nepotism in the company.

"But, many employees still receive a salary far below the
government-established minimum regional wage (UMR)," Gibson told
journalists.

He said he had told the employees that the rally would be held
by SPPI, so other employees could work and serve the public as
usual.

"But the plans changed as many employees were dissatisfied at
not being able to join the rally," he said.

Posters and placards were stuck on the walls around the office
building and fences. One placard read "PT Pos Indonesia is rich,
its executives and management are also rich, but its employees
are miserable." Another, aimed at the company's executives, read:
"you may sleep sound, but do not cut our throats because it is
very painful, sir."

Several employees said the company's revenue had increased
significantly.

"But the executives do not care about us," a protester said.

Kasmin, a driver of the company who is assigned to collect
letters from other post offices in Jakarta, Bogor, Tangerang and
Bekasi complained that he had only been receiving Rp 100,000
(US$10) per month as a basic salary.

"Can you survive with that sum of money in this city? It's
crazy," he told The Jakarta Post.

The rally brought the office's services to almost a complete
halt. Some customers turned back as they saw that the office's
gates were closed and the employees were gathering outside.

Only one of the existing 17 booths, express mail service and
two out of the seven booths, money orders service, were open
during the rally. Other booths which serve retirement claims and
receive tap-water (PAM) and telecommunication (Telkom) bills
payment were also open.

Nirwan, financial manager of the post office, maintained that
although the employees joined the rally, their public services
must go on.

"Although only two of our booths were open, we can still serve
the public," he said.

All employees, whether those joining the rally or those who
remained sitting behind the booths' windows wore black wristbands
on their left arms. (01)