Unpaid workers arrested for stealing from factory
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
Tangerang Police arrested on Friday 10 workers of PT Starwin Indonesia, which produces Reebok shoes, including the company's union chairman and deputy chairman.
Union chairman Nurhayat Santoso and deputy chairman Suwondo were arrested for provoking workers to hold a massive strike between Dec. 23 and Dec. 30 last year. Both have been questioned by the Tangerang Police but remain free.
While three workers -- identified as Tajudin, 22, Rahmat, 26, and Dodo, 27 -- and three security officers -- identified as Maman, 24, Tomi, 28, and Didi, 29 -- were apprehended early on Friday while allegedly trying to steal shoe materials from the company's warehouse.
Another two workers, Agus Sobari and Djoko Sudarsono, were arrested last month and charged with assaulting company executives and damaging an office during a protest on Nov. 7.
"We deployed several plainclothes officers around the factory to catch 12 workers, six of them who have already been arrested, who were targeted by police for stealing from the warehouse," said Tangerang Police deputy chief of detectives, Insp. Kustanto.
Police are searching for six other workers believed to have also been involved in the thefts.
Tomi, who has worked as a security guard at the company for three years, said he and the other employees did not want to steal from the warehouse.
"We have not received our salaries for December or January. Thursday was the last work day for us this week. Our families need money for food and that's why we stole," said the father of one at the police station.
PT Starwin Indonesia announced in January that beginning in February the company would close down its operations because buyers were not willing to come to Indonesia due to security concerns. As a consequence, the company's some 3,700 workers will be fired.
Workers have staged frequent protests in response to the announcement and the company's policies, including its decision to give workers an Idul Fitri bonus equals to a month's salary, less than the 250 percent of their monthly salaries they received in 2002.
The management promised the protesting workers that it would increase their Idul Fitri bonus to 200 percent of their monthly salaries, but they would have to wait until March to receive the remainder of the bonus.
The workers decided they could not wait until March for the bonus and held a massive strike between Dec. 23 and Dec. 30, which company executives blamed for scaring off foreign buyers to Vietnam.
About 3,700 workers rallied at the Tangerang Regency manpower office on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan on Monday, demanding that the company honor their rights.
In a meeting at manpower office on Tuesday, PT Starwin Indonesia president director Chang Hee-kyoung promised to pay the workers their salaries for December and January on Feb. 20.
"I will strive to pay your salaries and the management is trying to sell the company's assets," said Chang, who has lived in Indonesia for 26 years and invested US$30 million in the company.