Workers complain about wages

JAKARTA (JP): Workers at a garment company in Kamal Muara, North Jakarta, filed a complaint yesterday with the city council over minimum wages.

Several dozen workers, claiming to represent 167 others, filed their complaint with the council's commission E for social welfare.

The workers said that the management of PT Bintang Ratna Jaya is not paying them Rp 5,200 (US$2.26) per day, which is the minimum wage set by the government.

"The management complied with the regulation by paying only some of the workers the government-set wage, but only after we staged a protest in May. It also decided to reduce the wages of those workers earning more than the minimum wage," said Mulyani, the workers' spokeswoman.

She said the company reduced the wages of those making Rp 5,600 per day to Rp 5,200.

She said the workers demanded that the company raise the wages for those earning less than the minimum wage and reinstate the wages of those who were earning more.

"It's not fair and we ask the city council to help us because we don't have a unit of the All-Indonesia Workers Union Federation," Mulyani said.

She added the company also has not implemented a provincial decree that mandates meals and transportation allowances for those working the nightshift.

She said the company only gives Rp 250 for each overtime hour and no other allowances.

A member of the commission, Salam Sumangat, said the company is guilty of not paying the minimum wage and not forming a workers union.

"The company should have reported its reasons for failing to comply with regulations to the manpower ministry's local office," Salam said. (yns)