Workers file report of rights abuses

JAKARTA: Around 4,000 former employees of defunct aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (DI) have demanded that the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) investigate alleged human rights abuses during the company's controversial massive retrenchment last year.

The workers are charging that the West Java-based company abused their rights when it arbitrarily closed down without prior notice.

"When the company shut its office on July 12, many workers were receiving treatment at the company hospital. But because they turned off the lights and the hospital denied them further treatment, several workers died and others suffered mental duress that it affected their health," said the workers' lawyer, Lamria Siagian, recently.

She said the workers and their families suffered many negative impacts. For example, their children were expelled from school because they could not afford tuition any longer.

Lamria also accused the company of lying about the number of workers who had accepted the compensation fund. -- JP