Strike is off, Merpati flights run as scheduled
Strike is off, Merpati flights run as scheduled
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Scheduled flights of state-owned domestic airline company Merpati
Nusantara Airlines ran without disruption on Monday as pilots
canceled their planned strike.
"All flights are running on schedule, everything is normal,"
Imam Turidy, Merpati's general manager for corporate affairs told
The Jakarta Post.
Only one flight to Medan, North Sumatra, had to be canceled as
Medan's Polonia airport was closed due to floods, Imam said.
Imam said that in anticipation of the possible strike, the
company had organized back up cabin crews to cover the scheduled
flights on Monday.
"It's our commitment to our customers. We will not stop our
services in spite of threats of strikes," Imam said.
Earlier, the company's pilots, grouped in the Merpati's Pilot
Association (APM), had threatened to go on strike on Monday due
to the prolonged internal rift with the board of directors.
But some pilots instead held a peaceful rally by handing over
red roses to Merpati passengers in Terminal B, at the Soekarno-
Hatta International Airport, early Monday morning.
Previously, the company had issued a warning saying it would
take firm measures if the pilots decided to go ahead with the
planned strike.
Serving 250 routes, Merpati is the backbone of domestic
flights as it travels to remote areas across the archipelago,
especially the eastern part of Indonesia.
Asked about the company's plan in anticipation of another
possible strike, Imam said that the company had prepared back up
cabin crews.
The crews were stationed in Jakarta and other major service
stations such as Makassar, South Sulawesi and Surabaya, East
Java, he added.
Meanwhile, APM chairman Sardjono Johni claimed that they had
not canceled their plan due to the management's warning.
"As the government has agreed to replace the board of
directors by February at the latest, we decided to conduct a
peaceful demonstration instead," he said.
According to Sardjono the Office of the State Minister of
State Enterprises decided on the management reshuffle following a
meeting last week with the House of Representatives Commission IV
on transportation and infrastructure.
"We'll see if this materializes. If not, we will surely launch
a strike," Sardjono, who led the morning action, warned.
While speaking about the possible strike, Sardjono said that
the pilots would maintain their service to the eastern part of
Indonesia where many regions rely solely on Merpati fights.
With 620 member pilots, APM has been demanding the dismissal
of the board of directors -- led by Wahyu Hidayat -- since last
year.
They argued that the board of directors has failed to improve
conditions in the company thus affecting services to customers.
Imam, however, brushed aside the allegation, saying the
company was in a much better condition than in 1999.
He said that currently the company operated 35 airplanes, up
from 23 in 1999. The company had not laid off any of its 4,300
employees despite slowing business in the industry, Imam said.
"I think we have made some progress," he remarked.
Sumarno, a public relations officer at the Office of the State
Minister of State Enterprises said that the reshuffle of
Merpati's board of directors had not been discussed yet.
"I heard the news but it is not final," he said.