Taxi drivers hold another rally over rental fee hike

JAKARTA (JP): Some 300 taxi drivers of the Centris Group staged a rally on Tuesday at the company's headquarters on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said in South Jakarta, renewing their protest over the firm's plan to increase the drivers' daily rental fee by 25 percent.

Spokesman for the drivers, Rahman M, said he and his colleagues held the demonstration, the second within a week, after the company breached an agreement to cancel the proposed fee increase on March 2, a day after the first rally.

He said the agreement was made in front of the Kebayoran Lama Police Precinct chief. In exchange, the drivers resumed their duties.

"But when we came to the taxi pool at Kebayoran Lama to get back behind the wheel on March 3, the management closed the station's door and placed a placard on it announcing that they would proceed with the planned fee hike," Rahman said.

The placard read: "To drivers who wish to work for money and do not seek enemies, the rental fee remains Rp 115,000 per day and Rp 110,000 on holidays. Come and state your cooperation with PT Ratax! We are ready to serve you."

The new rate is Rp 25,000 higher than the old fee.

The drivers have remained on strike since the first rally on March 1.

Centris Group operates around 1,600 cabs under three names: Ratax, Kartika and Mercury. The rental fee for Kartika and Mercury is Rp 100,000 per day while Ratax drivers have to pay Rp 115,000 per day.

"We (drivers) reject the hike because we have been taking on unfair competition with other taxi firms still using the old flagfall rate of Rp 2,000. Drivers are also facing an increase in fuel prices soon," he said.

The government will raise fuel prices by an average 20 percent next month. The standard premium price is currently Rp 1,150 per liter.

Rahman said that the taxi drivers only managed to earn Rp 570,000 a month, or a mere Rp 19,000 a day.

Rahman, who has been with the Centris Group for 10 years, said the company had yet to implement the gubernatorial letter No. 3539/-1.811.33 approving the taxi fare hike dated Nov. 14, 2000, which obliges the management to discuss the planned increase with drivers.

"The company's management has never invited drivers to discuss either its decision to apply the new flagfall of Rp 3,000 or its decision to increase the daily rental," Rahman said.

Meanwhile, Makmur Ginting of the Indonesian Prosperous Workers Union (SBSI), who represented the protesters in a meeting with Centris general manager Suryadi, said the management promised to open talks with the drivers' representatives within the next two days.

"Suryadi asked for two days to prepare a negotiation, which is expected to result in the best solution for the ongoing strike," Ginting told The Jakarta Post.

Some protesting drivers were reported to have stopped Centris cabs passing Jl. H.R Rasuna Said and expel their passengers.

The March 1 rally at City Hall was marked by resentful drivers hurling stones at their non-striking colleagues and smashing the windscreens of at least seven cabs after they were stopped in front of City Hall but refused to join the rally. No injuries were reported during the incident. (01)