Palm Ambassador's Palm Oil Land Management Taken Over, Agrinas' Managing Director Makes Sure There Are No Layoffs

JAKARTA - President Director of PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero) Lt. Gen. TNI Purn. Agus Sutomo ensured that there would be no termination of employment (PHK) for employees of PT Duta Palma Group.

For your information, the Attorney General's Office has officially entrusted the confiscated palm oil land from PT Duta Palma Group to the Ministry of SOEs. Then, the Ministry of SOEs handed over the management of the 221,000 ha oil palm plantation to PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero).

According to Agus, his company has approached PT Duta Palma Group's palm oil worker to join PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero).

"The personnel we will prioritize recruiting from the locals. Especially we will synergize with employees from Duta Palma. We have been approaching them for a few days to join and we will not decide on their work (PHK)," he said at Danareksa Tower, Jakarta, Monday, March 10.

Furthermore, Agus guarantees that PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero) will also provide 100 percent of employee rights for former PT Duta Palma Group workers who are interested in joining.

"We will give 100 percent of their rights which should be the responsibility of the old Duta Palma company. But when Duta Palma is not responsible, it doesn't give, then the state will take over," he said.

Agus promised that the management of the oil palm land confiscated by the Attorney General's Office would be carried out transparently. He said his party would also form a work unit for every 17,000 hectares of oil palm plantations to facilitate management.

"Then as an organization, we will hold every 17,000 hectares of land, we will make it a regional area. It is led by regional heads, then oversees 5 general managers, oversees 25 managers," he said.

"The manager oversees 125 up-the-link or stand managers with so many people, foremanes, farmers and the community, employees who are part of the harvesting, buying and so on," he continued.

Previously, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) officially handed over confiscated palm oil land from the corruption proceeds of PT Duta Palma covering an area of 221,000 hectares (ha) to the Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN).

The land was handed over through the signing of evidence of oil palm plantations carried out by Attorney General ST Burhanuddin and Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir. Then, the Ministry of SOEs handed over the management of the 221,000 ha oil palm plantation to PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (Persero).

Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jam Pinsus) Febrie Ardiansyah said his party had entrusted the confiscated assets to protect evidence in line with the ongoing legal process.

The legal process takes time. So we don't want the quality of this evidence to go down. We don't want there to be uncertainty in the thousands of workers. There are quite a lot of workers (in oil palm plantations on confiscated land)," he said at the Danareksa Tower, Jakarta, Monday, March 10.

Febrie said the Attorney General's Office hopes that by entrusting the confiscated assets, the company's operations can run normally so that employees can still work.

The business process for oil palm plantations, which is evidence in the Duta Palma group, can continue its business. His good work relationship, his productivity is maintained and most importantly regarding his safety," he said.