Tangerang bus drivers on strike

Tangerang bus drivers on strike

TANGERANG (JP): Hundreds of employees working in Jakarta were stranded in Tangerang yesterday due to a massive strike staged by minibus drivers.

The 12-seat minibus drivers launched the strike, their second protest since last year, due to the unwillingness of the local authorities to improve the roads along their routes.

The area located in front of the mega-project of Lippo Village has largely been destroyed by the container trailers and dump trucks that use the roads all day long.

Long lines of trucks have also been causing traffic jams, especially in the evening hours.

"We have been quite patient in waiting for the authorities, who said that they will fix the roads immediately," one of the protesters told The Jakarta Post.

In the beginning, the drivers left their private cars in the middle of the roads in front of the Islamic Village School to blockade the passing trucks carrying soil and sand.

Because they were causing major traffic jams, the striking drivers gave in and decided to move their cars to the edge of the roads, but still blocked trucks wanting to pass through.

After standing around for four hours, the bus drivers drove off to the Tangerang City Council to lodge their complaints.

The Tangerang police have not responded to complaints regarding the damage being done by the truck drivers.

"We vow to continue this strike if there's no immediate response from the authorities," threatened a leader of the protesters. (bsr)