Some 1,300 shoemakers demonstrate at House
Some 1,300 shoemakers demonstrate at House
JAKARTA (JP): More than 1,300 workers at two shoe factories in
North Jakarta went on strike yesterday and demonstrated at the
House of Representatives, demanding welfare improvements.
The strikers, mostly female employees of PT Sindoll Pratama
and its subsidiary PT Mega Beta Pertiwi, both located on Jl.
Kapuk Muara, arrived at the House at about 9 a.m.
As none of the House members were willing to meet the workers,
the protesters decided to go to the Ministry of Manpower.
However they refused to go in trucks provided by the police
and military.
Security officers, angered by the refusal, lashed out with
rattan sticks. Ten protesters were arrested and taken to the City
Police Headquarters and the Jakarta Military Command for
questioning.
The remaining strikers were then forced to get into the police
trucks, which took them to the Ministry of Manpower.
At the ministry, the protesters, carrying banners and posters,
sat down in front of the building.
They rejected an offer by officials to meet with their
representatives, saying that all employees wanted to hear the
discussion.
They also asked the officials to summon the companies' owner,
whom they identified as A Fen.
One of the protesters, Catur, said the companies had cut their
salaries "for tax reasons".
"But our salaries are the minimum wage of Rp 5,700 a day,"
said Catur, which is well below the minimum tax-paying salary.
Ministry of Finance Decree No. 29/1994 states that workers
earning less than Rp 14,400 (US$4.75) per day are exempt from
paying income tax.
He said the companies also cut salaries to pay for workers'
social insurance, or Jamsostek, but none of the employees had
ever received Jamsostek membership cards.
He said the strikers also demanded overtime pay, meal and
transportation allowances, and detailed descriptions of their
salary.
Ministry official Iskandar asked the protesters to leave the
ministry compound and promised to discuss their demands with the
companies' management.
But the employees insisted on staying in the ministry compound
until the evening, hoping in vain for action to be taken. (jun)