Unpaid workers arrested for stealing from factory

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.