Workers of PT Cometa Can Corp. end four-day strike

JAKARTA (JP): Workers of PT Cometa Can Corp., a West Jakarta- based can factory, ended their four-day strike at noon yesterday after their representatives and the company's management reached an agreement on their demands.

"The management has fulfilled our (seven) requests and hence we agree to resume work, starting with the second shift," said Suhaimi, a member of the workers' representatives negotiating with the company management.

Suhaimi was referring to yesterday's second shift, which works from 2.30 p.m. until 10 p.m.

Suhaimi said the seven-point agreement includes; the elimination of the present contract working system; the provision of uniforms three times a year; medical allowances of Rp 60,000 per annum; and a daily incentive of Rp 600 for night shift workers.

The management also agreed to grant the workers an annual salary increase.

"What is important is there will be no contract workers in future as all the employees will be classified as daily workers, meaning that they will be entitled to medical allowances and insurance," Suhaimi said.

A total of 1,300 workers of the company, which produces cans for branded names products, such as Blue Band margarine and Khong Ghuan biscuits, started their peaceful strike on Monday. The four-day strike crippled the activities of the company.

On Wednesday the company management softened their attitude and fulfilled two points of the workers's demands --the provision of old age pensions and the inclusion of all workers in the government-run social and health insurance scheme called Jamsostek.

As in previous days, hundreds of the striking workers yesterday waited under the sun outside the Penjaringan Youth Center, where the closed-door negotiations were held.

The workers dispersed only after their representatives announced that they had accomplished the 7-point agreement with the management.

But Maryono, one of the workers' representatives, said that both the workers' representatives and the company management agreed to postpone the establishment of the local workers' union and the determination of new daily minimum wages.

"The workers' union will be formed in two weeks time and then we will continue the negotiations on the daily minimum wages," Maryono said, adding that the striking workers had asked that the company raise their daily minimum wages from the current Rp 3,800. (yns)