Lebak Bulus staffers worry over losing jobs

Employees at the Lebak Bulus Soccer Stadium were concerned that they would soon lose their jobs as the city administration prepares to tear down the historic stadium to make way for the construction of a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) terminal.

A number of employees, the majority of whom are contract workers, feared that they could soon lose their jobs if the city government pressed ahead with its plan on demolishing the soccer stadium.

“We have not been told about the plan. But we are worried if this stadium is finally torn down,” contract worker Tatang Muchtar said, as quoted by kompas.com.

Tatang said that if the city government continued with its plan to demolish the stadium, he hoped that all staffers would be transferred to other city agencies.

Sixty staffers currently run the day-to-day operations at the soccer stadium. This includes 10 government employees and 50 contract workers.

Suwarno, who has helped maintain the soccer field for the past 20 years, said he chose not to be preoccupied with the lay-off rumors and focused on his job instead.

“It is just a rumor, so I don’t think about it too much. Besides, a new stadium will be constructed to replace this, so we can only hope that we will also be transferred to the new stadium,” he said.

The city government said last week that Lebak Bulus stadium was slated for demolition in order to make way for the new MRT project.

Jakarta Spatial Planning Agency head Wiriatmoko said the demolition would begin later this year, paving the way for the construction of the city’s central MRT station.

The city government said construction of the MRT would employ at least 48,000 workers.