Workers starving, officials on picnic

TANGERANG: Some 1,000 former workers of PT Doson Indonesia, which manufactured shoes for Nike, were left stranded and hungry in front of Tangerang regency's Social Affairs Agency Friday, while agency officials and staff members went on a company picnic to Carita beach in West Java.

The officials and staff members left their office in two buses, leaving behind the workers, who had been there since Thursday afternoon after they held a rally to demand severance pay.

The workers asked the agency to help them obtain the money as they were in badly need of cash, especially after the recent price increases.

They lost their jobs after the company closed down in September 2002, but they had not received any severance pay pending a court settlement.

They complained that no company wanted to hire former PT Doson workers, since they were regarded as rebels, troublemakers and demonstrators.

As The Jakarta Post arrived in front of the office at noon, several workers who were sitting in orderly fashion on the asphalt could be seen sharing bread that had been donated by Tangerang police deputy chief Adj. Comr. I.G.D. Sugianyar.

"A bit of bread is not too bad -- it's better than eating nothing," one of the workers said.

Later in the afternoon, the workers moved their rally to the residence of the Tangerang regent.--JP