Unionists protest outside WB

Unionists protest outside WB

SYDNEY, Australia (AP): Australian trade unionists protested
outside the World Bank's Sydney offices on Friday in support of
workers in Indonesia locked in a pay dispute with the hotel they
work for.

Some 60 trade unionists protested on behalf of 400 workers at
the Shangri-La Hotel in the Indonesian capital Jakarta. The World
Bank has helped with loans for hotel construction.

Australia's umbrella labor organization, the Australian
Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), said workers at the hotel were
being paid 66 Australian dollars (US$35) a month while the hotel
was charging guests 178 Australian dollars (US$95) a night.

ACTU president Sharan Burrow said when the Indonesian workers
complained, hotel management locked out 400 workers three days
before Christmas and several others were arrested for taking part
in a sit-in at the hotel.