Workers' wage payments 'need supervision'

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors have urged the municipality to prevent chaos by tightly controlling and supervising wage payments to laborers involved in the city's labor-intensive program.

Soeparmo, head of Commission E for welfare affairs, said over the weekend the program was meant to provide temporary assistance to workers who had been recently dismissed as a direct impact of the monetary crisis.

Workers employed at a dike renovation program in Pademangan Timur, North Jakarta, have been confused about whether they would be paid on a daily or weekly basis.

Some of the workers have reportedly filed complaints at the subdistrict office who listed them for the job.

"It's better that the municipality reach a compromise with the workers about this matter soon because once the payment matter is settled things will proceed a lot smother and everybody will be satisfied.

"Therefore, I urge all parties involved in this program to be honest. Don't let any bad practices, such as cutting workers' wages, happen.

"Remember that the program is meant to function as a safety valve for Jakarta, to prevent unnecessary social unrest... and is aimed at filling the workers' stomachs and giving them some money to celebrate Idul Fitri," he said.

Lukman Mokoginta of Commission D for development affairs agreed.

"You have to remember that this is a matter of the stomach. So I think the city should settle on weekly wages for the workers.

"If they are paid daily, they could then leave the job whenever they want. So I think weekly payments are the best solution because there is a 'guarantee' that they won't abandon their work," he said.

In a bid to save the city from unemployment upheaval, Governor Sutiyoso said earlier that the city administration had received Rp 4.2 billion (US$525,000) from the National Development Planning Agency to implement labor-intensive projects for unskilled workers.

Sutiyoso said the money would be used to pay workers involved in the projects. Each worker will be paid Rp 7,500 a day.

The project started earlier last week in several areas across the city.

The city Manpower Agency said about 344,000 unskilled workers would work on labor-intensive projects, which include water pipeline repairs, river dredging, and dike and water canal throughout the city's five mayoralties.

One project organized by the municipality and private consultant PT Kirana Satria Asta Enam, will employ some 90,000 people to work on the city's clean river project.

Similar short-term labor-intensive projects are also being carried out in the areas surrounding Jakarta, such as Tangerang and Bogor.

The Tangerang Regency Administration has provided Rp 1.3 billion for projects to help curb unemployment and prevent social unrest in the area, which is located on Jakarta's western outskirts.

The projects will run for between 80 days and 90 days with an estimated 6,000 workers a day.

To the south of the capital, Bogor Mayor Eddy Gunardi marked the start of local projects -- which will cost Rp 800 million -- by symbolically handing over working tools to all district chiefs Saturday.

"The 1997 economic crisis is apparently far worse than we had estimated. Many private firms have closed their doors and stopped activities, taking unemployment to new levels.

Even worse, the prices of some basic foods have shot up which is a burden for the people," he said.

According to chairman of the Bogor chapter of the Indonesian Businessmen's Association, Kaswarin, the number of workers so far dismissed by 350 members of the association is 3,200 people.

"This number excludes workers who may have been dismissed by their companies without the companies informing us," Kaswarin said.

There are about 1,200 firms engaged in different businesses in Bogor.

Bogor mayoralty spokesman, Hari Harsono, said the labor- intensive projects in Bogor included drainage cleaning, village road repairs, park rehabilitation and tackling garbage problems.

The projects to be carried out in 68 villages would continue until March 31, he said.

Hari estimated that the projects would hire up to 2,000 people per day.

"They will be paid Rp 7,500 per day for five working hours," he said. (edt/24/bsr)