Workers' protest on low wages denied

Workers' protest on low wages denied

JAKARTA (JP): PT Cenin Indonesia, an East Jakarta-based garment manufacturer, denied its workers claim yesterday that the company failed to abide by existing regulations on wages and Idul Fitri allowances.

S.B. Choe, an executive of the company, said in a statement made available to The Jakarta Post that the workers' claim was unfounded and that the company fulfilled its obligation wage and allowance obligations despite financial losses.

Over 500 workers from PT Cenin Indonesia went to the House of Representatives early last week to protest their company's unfair treatment.

They complained about the daily wage of only Rp 3,800 (US$1.7) per worker and the delayed payment of individual Idul Fitri allowances of Rp 90,000.

Choe said, however, that the Rp 3,800 is in line with the minimum wage set by the government. "Moreover, on average the company pays more than the minimum wage," he added. (hhr)