Jakarta – A total of 237 employees of the Nikko Hotel in Central Jakarta staged a protest in front of the Jakarta Manpower and Transmigration Agency office on Friday, against the hotel management's decision to dismiss them.

The hotel workers union chairman Nurbukhori Effendi said the management had violated a 2003 purchase agreement under which, in the three years following the agreement, the management was not allowed to dismiss the workers. The management argued that it has suffered financial losses in 2003 and 2002 and had too many employees.

"The hotel's occupancy rate is over 70 percent, the highest among hotels in the city," Nurbukhori said. "Besides, the hotel's financial report states that the management profited last year, as much as Rp 1.4 billion (US$148,936)." A total of 75.97 percent of shares in the hotel were sold by the office of the State Minister of State Enterprises through the old management of PT Wisma Nusantara Internasional to Singapore-based PT Guthrie Logistic Private Limited on December 13, 2002.