Salary Not Paid for 4 Months, 150 Janitors Hold Strike

As many as 150 janitors employed by PT Orcalindo Lamtama Mandiri, a partner company of Jakarta Cleanliness Department Management Coastal and Beaches Cleanliness Management Unit, hold strike because their salary has not been paid for four months. They demanded their salary to be paid cash today. Because of this strike, 773 cubic of liquid wastes in Jakarta threatened could not be transported. 

We have not received salary since January. That’s why we’ll demand our rights until there is clarity

Those janitors, who consist of drivers, truck conductors, shovel machine operators, supervisors, and cleanliness staff, since morning have gathered at the parking lot of PT Orcalindo Lamtama Mandiri office, Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan, Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, Tuesday (5/6). Every day, they transport liquid wastes in Jakarta to Bantar Gebang Integrated Waste Disposal Area (TPST) in Bekasi. They plan to hold strike until there is clarity of salary payment from Jakarta Cleanliness Department because their company is no longer able to provide personal loan.

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Joshua (52), one of the janitors, said that today as many as 43 diesel trucks with eight-cubic capacity, 10 tronton trucks with 24-cubic capacity, and seven7 shovel machines stop operating along the strike held by 150 officers. “ We have not received salary since January. That’s why we’ll demand our rights until there is clarity ,” he asserted.

According to the janitor who has worked as dump truck driver for seven years, he and his friends often borrowed money from the company to cover up living costs. But since there is no clarity on contract extension from Jakarta Cleanliness Department, the company no longer gives loan.

Anto, representative of PT Orcalindo Lamatama Mandiri, admitted that the company no longer gives loan to its employees and the employees’ salary has not been paid by Jakarta Cleanliness Department. “Indeed, Jakarta Cleanliness Department has not paid their salary. We’re also still in auction process, so it is yet certain we’ll be partnering again with Jakarta Cleanliness Department,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Deputy Head of Jakarta Cleanliness Department, Isnawa Adji, confirmed that his department has not paid the salary of those janitors due to there is financial system that must be passed. “We are waiting for the money to be disbursed, about two weeks at the latest,” he stated.

Besides PT Orcalindo Lamatama Mandiri employees, Adji continued, there are about 8,000 other janitors in Jakarta whose salary has not been paid because the 2014 City Budget (APBD) was just recently disbursed. “We already sent letter to Jakarta Development Planning Board (Bappeda), telling that trash matter is fixed cost that needs to be paid routinely. Next time, we’ll propose for special budget that is ready to pay their salary,” he uttered.

To secure this strike, Kelapa Gading Sector Police deploy 30 personnel. Since 10 AM until now, the police are still safeguarding the action. “At first, the drivers wanted to close the road. But after we discussed with them and Jakarta Cleanliness Department officials came to negotiate, the protesters finally understood and run their action peacefully,” said Kelapa Gading Sector Police Chief Comr. Sutriyono.