Service Charge Increases IDR 80,000/m, Wholesale Center Merchant In Gibran City Complains To City Government Asking For Dialogue Room

PGS traders refused to increase the additional cost of building facilities. AMONG

SOLO - The Solo Wholesale Center Merchant (PGS) complained the building owner to the Solo City Government for increasing the additional cost of using the building.

"Our demand is to refuse to increase the service charge. Basically, we want to increase the service charge to IDR 80,000/m from IDR 57,500/m," said one trader and member of the PGS Merchant Association, Cahyo on the sidelines of the lawsuit in Solo, Antara. , Wednesday, March 9th.

With the increase in tariffs, the owner of this Fashion Cruise Ship shop admitted that he had to pay much more.

"I have four shops that usually cost Rp. 2.7 million/month plus electricity, I calculate tomorrow it will increase to Rp. 4 million/month. The increase is as of March, this is already a circular," he said.

After the circular regarding the increase, he added, actually the association had tried to ask for a dialogue room with the owner of the PGS building. However, so far the owner is only represented by PGS management.

"So when they have a meeting with us they can't decide, they always ask the owner (the owner of the building). Even though it's the owner in Jakarta, we asked the owner to be brought in to bridge," he said.

He said this additional cost or service charge includes costs for maintenance, cleaning, security, and promotions.

"It's different from the rental fee. Even though we think this facility is chaotic, there has been a sharp decline in terms of building maintenance, the top floor is like a house without a roof. In my shop, if it rains, it will leak," he said.

As a follow-up, continued Cahyo, the traders asked the Solo City Government to bridge communication between traders and building owners.

"The hope of the traders is that the city government hears our complaints and bridges the mediation, gratefully rebuking the owner for canceling, this is a pandemic, your traders are sluggish (sluggish sales)," he said.

If there is no follow-up from the government, he ensures that traders will continue to pay additional fees at the previous rate.

Meanwhile, Head of the Surakarta City Trade Office, Heru Sunardi, promised to bring together traders and building owners.

"We promise that Tuesday (next week) we will meet traders with PGS officials in the Surakarta City Government because they are actually worried that if they don't follow the management they will be sealed," he said.

According to him, the building owner will also be present at the meeting.

"Demands from traders so that the owner can be presented, if I do, I will invite you. If you come alone, I thank you, if you represent it, that's the authority there," he said.

He also ensured that there would be common ground from the meeting. "We are optimistic that there will be a meeting point, at a time like this the municipal government has a role to ensure that business actors can continue their activities," he said.

PGS Head of Marketing Ritsu Tri claimed that the tariff adjustment was reasonable considering that in the last six years there had been no increase in additional costs. "We haven't had an increase for six years, that's why we are making adjustments," he said.

Regarding the merchant's complaint about the building's facilities, he confirmed that repairs would be carried out in the near future. He said repairs would be carried out at the latest after the Lebaran period.

"The plan is to make improvements in the near future to make it more standard. Apart from the roof for the front view, it will also be repaired. Other facilities will also be more standard. Which ones need to be repaired will be repaired," he said.