Tangerang SPSI builds office

TANGERANG, West Java (JP): As many as 125,000 workers who are members of Tangerang's All-Indonesia Workers Union (SPSI) have jointly raised Rp 250 million (US$106,791) for the building of their two-story branch office on a plot of 240 square meters on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan.

This was in response to the recent call by H. Yusuf Makatita, the head of Tangerang's SPSI branch, to all of its members to take part in financing the project by donating Rp 2,000 each.

Abbas Sunarya, the treasurer of the branch, told The Jakarta Post over the weekend that the initial fund for this project was only Rp 50 million, 30 million of which was his personal donation and the rest from the SPSI branch's members.

In the project's groundbreaking ceremony recently, Tangerang Mayor Djakaria Machmud also successfully raised Rp 52 million by organizing a fund-raiser.

Included among the donors were the head of the Legislative Council Abbas Sunarya.

"I think this sum of money is enough to build our branch office and all of its facilities", said Makatita.

Djakaria expressed hope that the building can be used as a place to settle problems involving workers.

"Why should workers demonstrate if their problems can be settled through SPSI, let alone by violence and destruction,?" he questioned.

He also reminded employers to heed the government's manpower regulations. (18/26)