Workers starving, officials on picnic

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