Jakarta - The global economic meltdown has forced a number
of Indonesian labour-intensive industries to lay off more than
12,000 workers, media reports said Friday.
Businessmen claimed that the global financial crash has started
affecting the export sector in November and many exported products
were rejected by buyer countries, which could force many more
companies to stop production.
Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP), announced Thursday that it
would dismiss 1,000 workers and temporarily lay off another 1,000, in
a move to help stop the company from failing.
'Timber supplies are inadequate to meet production needs and this
has now been worsened by the global financial slowdown,' said RAPP
director Rudi Fajar.
'Besides low demand from overseas buyers, the sale price has also
dropped significantly,' The Jakarta Post quoted Fajar as saying,
adding that the company had also severed the working contracts of 25
of the 54 expatriates working there.
A total of 12,600 manufacture labourers also face dismissal as
industries across Java and Kalimantan provinces are planning layoffs,
reported Indonesian daily Kompas newspaper.
Manpower and Transmigration Minister Erman Suparno revealed
recently that his office has allocated 1.4 billion rupiah (116,600
dollars) in the state budget to cushion the impact of possible mass
unemployment as a result of the global financial crisis.
Next year, the budget would be increased to 1.6 billion rupiah.
An estimated 2.5 million workers in Indonesia's garment and
textile factories may lose their jobs in the near future, while other
labour-intensive industries that rely on the export market face
similar prospects, which could fuel the already high unemployment
rate in the country, according to businessmen.
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