A walkout by 80 percent of the workforce of PT Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT), which runs the country’s biggest container terminal, has abruptly ended with no clear agreement, raising fears that the core problem remains unsettled.
A walkout by 80 percent of the workforce of PT Jakarta International Container Terminal (JICT), which runs the country’s biggest container terminal, has abruptly ended with no clear agreement, raising fears that the core problem remains unsettled.
Despite an initially planned full week of strike action at the joint venture between state port operator Pelindo II and Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holding (HPH), workers agreed to go back to work on Monday, after five days.
In a statement, the labor union cited the greater good, such as the flow of goods into and out of the country as well as the national economy, as the reason behind the abrupt end of the strike.
JICT worker union chairman Nova Sofyan Hakim said the government had urged the union to end the strike. He did not elaborate on any agreement between the management and the workers on the issue of lower bonuses, which was one of the main reasons for the strike.
“The government has suggested that we sit together with the management and solve the problem. If it just goes on and on like this, it will seem like there is no good intention [from either side],” he said on Tuesday.
Nova also highlighted that the workers were ready to go back to work as usual and provide services to customers at the terminal in Tanjung Priok Port, Jakarta.
More than 650 JICT workers had been on strike since Thursday to demand that the management not cut their bonuses. They claimed a recent contract extension for HPH to operate the terminal, which obliges JICT to pay annual rental fees of US$85 million to Pelindo II, had led to the bonus cut.
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.