Workers' wage payments 'need supervision'

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)