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.