Two months jail for PTDI director

Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post/Bandung

The president director of state aircraft maker PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) has been sentenced to two months in jail for negligence by a Bandung district court.

Edwin Soedarmo was convicted for negligence because he did not abide by a verdict issued on Jan. 29, 2003, by the Central Committee for Settlement of Labor Disputes (P4P) at the expense of former workers of PTDI, presiding judge Hidayatul Manan said on Friday.

At least 1,000 former PTDI workers were present to hear the verdict, but neither Edwin nor his lawyers were in attendance.

Edwin was charged after investigators from the Bandung Manpower Office reported that he had disobeyed the P4P verdict. The P4P had ordered the PTDI president director to pay severance to the laid-off workers in accordance with manpower regulations.

Saridjan, who had been with PTDI for 25 years, testified that he was only given Rp 51 million (US$5,666) in severance.

If the company had abided by the P4P decision, it should have given him severance of Rp 157 million, said Saridjan.

The judge said Edwin was found to have violated an article of the Manpower Law that carried a maximum sentence of three months.

Former PTDI workers applauded and were overjoyed upon hearing the verdict.

Over 6,500 PTDI workers were laid off last year due to the company's financial troubles, which triggered a prolonged labor dispute.

More than 5,700 workers accepted the layoff, while the remaining 800 workers rejected it and filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.