Monday, February 05, 2007

Journalist demands justice over dismissal

The Jakarta Post
City News - February 02, 2007

JAKARTA: Journalist Bambang Wisudo on Thursday asked the Jakarta Manpower Agency to solve his dispute with former company PT Kompas Media Nusantara, which dismissed him in December for creating uneasiness among employees.

He claimed the dismissal was related to his activities as the secretary of the Kompas workers union, which had fought to regain the employees' 20 percent share in the company.

"The dismissal is baseless. I demand Kompas restore my status as an employee of the company," he said.

An Information and Communications Ministry regulation issued in 1984 states that a 20 percent share of a media company must be delivered to employees.

Last year, the management agreed to disburse 20 percent of the company's annual profits in terms of dividends to workers.

Two months after the settlement, four members of the workers union were sent outside Java, including Wisudo.

He wrote to Kompas daily co-founder Jakob Oetama, requesting a move to Garut, West Java, which is closer to Jakarta, and forwarded it to the office. Not long after that, he was dismissed.

Agency head Rusdi Mukhtar said he found indications of illegal dismissal.

"A company can only fire a worker for lack of discipline after issuing three warnings. It cannot dismiss or transfer employees in relation to labor union activities, especially not those who fight for workers' welfare," he added.

The agency is investigating the case before submitting it to the prosecutor's office for trial at the labor court. -- JP



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