Thousands of Telkomsel workers go on strike in Indonesia

[News_Editor]

Thousands of Telkomsel workers go on strike in Indonesia

2011-11-11 04:32:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BNO NEWS) -- Thousands of Telkomsel workers in Indonesia went on strike on Thursday to demand improved labor benefits, local media reported.

Telkomsel Workers Union Communication and Information chief Rizaldi Juvmansyah announced that the strike is scheduled to continue until the end of the year. According to the Tempo newspaper, some 4,000 workers participate in the nationwide strike, although a survey carried out by the union showed that only 2,500 workers had agreed to take action.

Telkomsel, a subsidiary of Telkom Indonesia, is one of the country's most important mobile phone companies with more than 94 million subscribers.

Rizaldi explained that the workers participating in the strike will be checking into their respective offices, although they will be downgrading their work performance. He assured that mobile phone services will not be disrupted, although there were reports that many employees were just sitting around their offices on Thursday.

Among the workers' demands are periodical raises according to inflation rates, fulfillment of pension plans, health insurance and improved company facilities. Prior to the beginning of the strike, some 1,000 Telkomsel workers wearing red T-shirts took to the streets of Jakarta.

Meanwhile, unrelated to the Telkomsel strike, PT Freeport Indonesia have entered their third month of strikes. Workers at the Papua mine have been demanding a salary increase since mid-September and have since refused a 25 percent increased offered by the company. According to reports, the workers currently earn between $1.5 to $3 an hour.

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