Septia Ryanthie, Sukoharjo – Some 15,000 workers from PT Sri Rejeki Isman Textile, or Sritex Group, planned to take to the streets in Jakarta to protest the Supreme Court (MA) that rejected an appeal to revoke Sritex's bankruptcy status, which had previously been decided by the Semarang Commercial Court.
Sritex Group Workers Union Advocacy Coordinator Slamet Kaswanto said the demonstration would be directed to the MA. "We are very disappointed with the Supreme Court's decision to reject the appeal filed by Sritex Group to revoke the bankruptcy status," Slamet told reporters in Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, on Wednesday, December 25, 2024.
He said, the government, in this case President Prabowo Subianto, had conveyed that there should be no termination of employment or layoffs at Sritex after the bankruptcy status.
However, with the Supreme Court's decision to deny cassation and the lack of response from the trustees and supervisory judges of the Semarang District Court regarding Sritex's efforts to continue operations, the hope of no layoffs has faded.
He explained that so far in the bankruptcy process, the workers have respected the ongoing legal process by not causing any uproar in the government, either in government offices or any other agency. "But with this, we are saying that we are forced to take to the streets to communicate our demands so that they are heard by the policymakers of this country," he said.
Slamet went on to express the hope of Sritex Group workers that there would be no layoffs. "Because with this bankruptcy status, there are two possibilities. The first is the settlement of asset sales and the second is business continuity," he said.
Of the two options, Slamet said, the workers want only business continuity, not asset sales. "We still want to work, because by working we will prosper."
As for the planned demonstration, Slamet said the union would first hold a consolidation to prepare for it. "We are planning to hold a consolidation meeting on Friday (December 27, 2024) to set the date and preparations," he said.