Jakarta – On Monday February 17, hundreds of workers from PT Elaine who have been left in the dark by factory owners, complained to the National Coalition. They were received by National Coalition representatives Eros Djarot, Jusuf Lakaseng and Ricky Tamba.

The head of the Cakung Indonesian National Worker's Front for Struggle (FNPBI), Lely, told the coalition that on January 27, the management and personnel of PT Eliane agreed with a plan for the owners to celebrate the Chinese new year in Taiwan.

The management then announced that the company would go on holiday for 11 days from January 29 to February 10. But when the workers returned to work, they found the factory gates closed and locked.

The employees then made enquires to the head of the Cakung Berikat Nusantara Zone (KBN) offices, East Jakarta. KBN told them that the owners would return to Indonesia within the next two weeks. The PT Elaine management who were present at the KBN offices asked that the employees be patient.

However after waiting and waiting without any clear response, in the end the employees "occupied" the factory.

"For the last two weeks they have demonstrated, struggling for their rights. But to this day their voices have not been heard. Therefore we, the National Coalition will immediately establish a complaints coordination post at KBN and provide legal support to PT Elaine supporters as well as other workers in KBN who experience the same fate", said Ricky.

Hundreds of workers took three buses and arrived at the Coalition's headquarters, at the Bung Karno Nationalist Party headquarters, on Jl Penjernihan, Central Jakarta, at 12noon.

[Translated by James Balowski]