Steel workers depressed

SERANG, West Java: Many workers temporarily laid off from PT Krakatau Steel since May are suffering from depression, the chief of the Serang Manpower Office said.

Bambang Soetomo told Antara that he had asked the management of the state-owned steel company either to rehire them quickly, reassign them to other units, or to terminate their employment once and for all.

Some of the workers have been simply told to stay at home while they continue to receive their salaries, Bambang said as reported by Antara.

"I feel sorry for them because now they have to spend their days at home as if they are unemployed," he said, noting that these workers live in the same housing complex with their colleagues who continue to work.

Krakatau Steel, according to the news agency, announced its plan in May to trim its workforce from 9,000 to 6,000 in order to stay competitive.

Krakatau Steel President Soetoro Mangoensoewargo said that 800 of the 3,000 workers would be laid off temporarily, although with full salary. The rest will be reassigned to other business units within the company. (emb)