Shangri-La union executives seek international support

JAKARTA (JP): The Shangri-La Independent Worker Union (SPMS) is looking for international support in its fight against Shangri-La Hotel management.

SPMS secretary Odie Hudiyanto told The Jakarta Post on Monday that they were continuing the struggle to regain their jobs by filing a suit through the International Labor Organization (ILO).

"The International Union of Food Workers (IUF), which has members in 130 countries, has filed a suit against the Indonesian government through ILO," Odie claimed.

According to Odie, the director of the International Labor Standards Department at the ILO Office in Geneva, Jean Claude Javiller, had sent a letter to the Ministry of Manpower and Trasmigration on March 2 requesting that the government seriously endeavor to resolve the dispute.

SPMS claimed that Shangri-La Hotel management violated a 1998 ILO convention which the Indonesian government is bound to uphold.

The dispute centers on the employees' demands for a salary rise, as well as a higher share of income from service charges and a pension fund.

Workers commenced occupation of the hotel on Dec. 22, forcing management to suspend operations for nearly three months.

The hotel has since reopened, while dismissal of the workers affiliated with SPMS are going through an arbitration process at the government-sanctioned Central Committee for the Settlement of Labor Disputes (P4P).

The committee has yet to hand down its verdict.

According to Odie, only 232 SPMS members have officially resigned from the hotel, while 273 others continue to demand reinstatement.

Odie said hotel management had also filed a lawsuit against the striking workers, with the South Jakarta District Court, demanding Rp 80 billion in damages.

As the suit entered its third hearing on April 17, Odie claimed that the hotel's lawyer, Maqdir Ismail, asked SPMS executives to negotiate and reconcile.

"We realize that the lawsuit was just aimed at spooking the workers," Odie said.

Odie insisted that the remaining workers only want their jobs back, no matter how much Shangri-La Hotel management offers them in compensation.(01)