Angry workers threaten to turn off Jakarta's lights
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Electricity company PT PLN's outsourced workers, who recently threatened to strike if they were not promoted as permanent employees, are increasing the pressure on PLN by threatening to switch off Jakarta's electricity, an action that could see them face
“If PLN doesn’t fulfil our demand by the end of October, we will turn off Jakarta’s electricity,” field coordinator of the Joint Movement of State-Owned Enterprises’ Outsourced Workers, Yudi Winarno, told reporters on Monday.
A member of the Indonesian Muslim Workers Union was quoted as saying outsourced workers could switch off the electricity because one of them was holding the key to Jakarta’s relay station.
However, PLN’s senior corporate communications manager, Bambang Dwiyatno, downplayed the workers’ threat. “They will not be able to switch off Jakarta’s electricity. It’s not easy to obtain the key to the central electrical relay station.”
Jakarta deputy governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama called on the workers to convey their demands in ways that would not harm the public interest.
“They should write a petition or stage a rally, not make threats. If they keep on escalating their threats, they could threaten to bomb Jakarta.”
He said the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry, PLN as well as the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry should take responsibility and solve the outsourced workers’ grievances.
Yudi alleged that PLN was violating Law No. 13/2003 on manpower by outsourcing its core business and not providing health allowances for its outsourced workers.
“One outsourced worker who died recently of electric shock, for example, never got any allowances from PLN,” he said.
