Despite an intervention by lawmakers on Thursday, board directors of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura I are still in disagreement with employees, over salaries, pensions and health insurance.

Workers' strikes continue at five regional airports, after they stopped work Wednesday morning.

The walkout is expected to continue until Friday night, when employees of Adisutjipto airport in Yogyakarta, Central Java, would join the strike.

"There has been no agreement to address our demands, so we will continue with our 24-hour strike this Friday," the company's labor union general-secretary Sulistyani told The Jakarta Post after meeting members from the House of Representatives.

The strikes hit Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, Frans-Kaisiepo Airport in Biak, Hasanuddin Airport in Makassar, Sam Ratulangi Airport in Manado and Pattimura Airport in Ambon.

Ribka Tjiptaning, head of House Commission IX overseeing citizenship, health, labor and transmigration affairs, met with the disputing parties and requested the matter be resolved quickly to avoid inconveniencing the public.

"We ask PT Angkasa Pura I to resolve the matter in an industrious manner. I want no intimidation or firing of employees after the matter is resolved," Ribka said.

The company's shareholder meeting in January rejected workers' demands for adjustments to salaries, pension payments and health insurance for retirees, as stipulated in an agreement between the workers' labor union and board of directors, in 2006.

Under the agreement, airport workers are entitled to net salaries equal to that of civil servants, which currently stand at around Rp 1.2 million (US$129) for the lowest post. The airport workers currently receive net salaries of around Rp 700,000 for the lowest post.

"The directors have violated the agreement by not giving pay rises despite increases to civil servants' wages over the last two years," Sulistyani said, adding that the company posted a net profit of some Rp 390 billion last year, above the Rp 340 billion it had targeted.

Angkasa Pura I corporate secretary Kuntiadi Budianto said the board of directors were not able to do anything.

"The shareholder meeting in January decided not to increase their salaries. What can we do? We can't go against the shareholders' will, that's a criminal offense," Kuntiadi said.

The strike had not affected operations because airports had received help from various government bodies, he said.

PT Angkasa Pura I's management at Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, fired the local labor union chief, Arif Islam.

Arif was reportedly fired for violating a disciplinary action, by holding a strike and ignoring his obligations to serve the public.

"We told them the management would take strict measures if they went on strike, because they were supposed to be serving the public interest," Angkasa Pura I general manager Winaya said.

Arif said he would continue to fight for workers' rights.

"Our strike is legitimate. I think the decision to fire me is a method of union-busting. Even my friends who were trying to get into the airport were barred from entering," Arif said.

Sepinggan airport workers are no longer demonstrating at the departure gates, and a banner with the words "Sorry, we're on strike" was torn down.

Members of the union replaced their black clothes with a black band on their right arm, which signaled their mourning for the dismissal of their union chief.

Balikpapan Seaport security personnel could still be seen checking passenger tickets and supervising the airport tax booths. (anw)

Popular

Great Barrier Reef hit by record bleaching

Govt to undo latest curbs on personal imports

Middle East on edge as Israel and Iran trade threats