Workers' strike over allowances

Workers' strike over allowances

JAKARTA (JP): Three workers' strikes have occurred in Greater Jakarta since the deadline for companies to pay out Idul Fitri allowances on Feb. 6.

Workers of garment and shoe factories, which are the most sensitive sectors, went on strike in West Jakarta, North Jakarta, and Bekasi, 30 kilometers east of here.

Some 300 workers of PT Sinintama Garmentindo in West Jakarta started striking on Thursday to demand the Idul Fitri allowance and an increase in the wage paid by the company, which remains under the current regional minimum wage.

More than 2,000 workers of the PT Sunshindo Elok Cemerlang garment and shoe factory in North Jakarta also went on strike on Friday, demanding that the company pay their Idul Fitri allowance and postponed salaries.

On the same day, thousands of workers of PT Mulia Industrindo in Bekasi also went on strike. They demanded that the company give them a holiday bonus and not cut taxes from their Idul Fitri allowances.

The management claims that the tax was imposed in accordance with the government regulations.

The government instructed that companies pay their workers Idul Fitri allowances by Feb. 6 at the latest.

Despite the reports on some workers' strikes, the head of the Jakarta branch of the Federation of the All-Indonesia Workers Union, Fauzi Ibrahim, claimed that so far his office has received no reports of strikes at companies which have unions.

"We haven't received any complaints from workers under the union regarding the allowances so far, even from the most sensitive sector, textiles," Fauzi Ibrahim told The Jakarta Post on Saturday. (03)