Textile company workers oppose mass dismissals

Textile company workers oppose mass dismissals

JAKARTA (JP): Seven hundred workers dismissed at short notice
from their jobs with the Bekasi-based textile producer PT Pusaka
Buana Raya intend to fight the company's management for a more
just settlement.

The employees, who have each worked for the firm for between
five and 20 years, visited the National Commission on Human
Rights on Monday in search of support for their cause.

Farid Mu'azd, a lawyer representing the workers, said that the
company's president Ridwan Lesmana asked his factory manager to
stop production on Nov. 25.

"The management said that the firm had been forced to stop
production because orders had dried up as a result of the
economic crisis," Farid from the Indonesian Workers Legal Aid
said.

He said the firm had offered one month's salary to each worker
as severance pay -- between Rp 200,000 (US$26) and Rp 300,000 per
person.

However, the workers wanted severance pay equivalent to four
times their monthly wages, he explained.

"In hard times like this, severance pay equivalent to one
month's salary is not enough," Farid said.

He said the workers were also angry that the dismissals had
been announced without the management first discussing the matter
with them.

Jamhari, who worked for the company, said the permanent
closure of the factory was announced at 1 p.m. on Nov. 24, while
many employees were still on their shifts.

"We were shocked by the announcement. We were asked to take
our severance pay and stop working the next day," Jamhari added.

He said that 500 workers were dismissed last year after two of
five production lines in the factory were shut down.

He revealed that many of the workers dismissed last year had
subsequently been reemployed in the firm's cleaning services
division.

Early last month, the firm's cleaning service workers staged a
protest against alleged mistreatment outside the Bekasi office of
the Ministry of Manpower, he added.

"We don't know why, but suddenly the firm announced that the
factory was going to be closed down because there were no orders.
We do not believe that is the real reason," he said.

Company executives could not be reached for comment on Monday.

Human rights commission members Joko Soegianto and Soegiri
promised the workers they would raise the matter with the
company's directors and the relevant government officials.

The workers visited the House of Representatives en route to
the commission's offices. Twenty five representatives of the
workers were received by members of the ruling Golkar faction.
(jun)