Working in public toilets brings freedom?

JAKARTA (JP): Working in a public toilet for seven hours a day is not the sort of job people dream about.

But what would the ladies rooms in Malls be without the women working there? They make sure there is enough toilet paper and that it is folded neatly and attractively for the next customer.

They also keep the floor, the wash basins, and the cubicles clean and dry.

Some women are happy with the job. Satrina, who works at Plaza Senayan, said, "I like this job better than my last job as a servant. I have friends and enjoy more freedom here."

Mida Darwati, 20, who has worked at Plaza Indonesia for only two weeks and still has no idea how much she will get paid, said tending the toilets was better than home chores.

"Working at home is heavier than this. This is also easier than my previous job at a garment factory," she said.

She said she worked hard at the factory but was poorly paid.

When there are no customers she cleans everything in sight, "so I don't get sleepy".

Suwarti, 27, an elementary graduate and former restaurant employee, said the seven-hour job suited her because she got to spend more time with her family.

But, Dini, not her real name, is bored stiff after working four months at Metro department store in Plaza Senayan.

She said when she was not cleaning she had to stand. "Sitting is not allowed here," she said.

"Sometimes when I am standing here, I tell myself this was not what I dreamed of. When I was an economics high school (SMEA) student I wanted an administration job in an office," she said.

She was told by a friend last year there was an opening Plaza Senayan for a woman.

"I thought I was going to work as a sales girl, but I was put in this toilet," Dini said, adding she was still trying to get another job.

A woman working at Plaza Indonesia also said she was looking for another job, because of the bad pay.

"After working here for one and a half years I still haven't been able to save any money. My salary is Rp 150,000 (US$60) a month and I spend at least Rp 4,000 a day on transport and meals."

Katmi of Plaza Senayan said she and her colleagues got between Rp 120,000 and Rp 150,000 a month. "The salary is subject to cuts by the management depending our absences." she said.

Plaza Indonesia employees said their salary was cut by Rp 10,000 for each day of absence.

The minimum monthly wage for Jakarta's workers is Rp 172,500.

One woman at Plaza Indonesia has worked in the toilets for six years and now supervises 35 workers. Selvi, 28, said that from the beginning she decided to work long term in one place.

"As long as I don't get any trouble, I'll keep working here," she said.

After working there for five years she was appointed supervisor. She patrols 14 toilets at least three times a day, and arranges employees' schedules.

Selvi, a junior high school graduate, is prepared to stick longer at the toilet job.

"Sometimes it's boring. But that's common in a job. I just do it because I need money," she said. (13)