Severance Pay Is Also Not Paid, The Former Pilots Of Air Pigeons Survive By Motorbike Taxis To Become Farmers

The Former Merpati Pilots Association (PPEM). (Photo: VOI/Mary Handayani)

JAKARTA - The Association of Ex-Merpati Pilots (PPEM), revealed that the current condition of former pilots is very worrying. After the airline ceased operations in 2014, many pilots have entered retirement age.

So, they find it difficult to find work in other airlines. Meanwhile, the severance pay, which is expected to be a guide for survival in old age, has not been paid.

As a result, many of these former pilots have swerved to try any profession to support their families. Including being a driver or motorcycle taxi driver to becoming a farmer.

One of the former Merpati Airlines pilots, Eddy Sarwono said that many former Merpati Airlines pilots who died did not receive clarity regarding their severance pay. While those who are still alive today, choose to survive by doing jobs with daily pay.

"We-we are old, we can't work elsewhere. In fact, some of our friends are farmers, many motorcycle taxi drivers, even many who died," he said when met at the SOE Ministry Office, Jakarta, Wednesday, May 18. .

The former Merpati Airlines pilots, continued Eddy, have been patient enough to wait for the severance payment promised by the Ministry of SOEs since 2018. Moreover, after the Merpati Airlines Pension Fund (Dapen) was disbanded, the former Merpati Airlines pilots did not have a pension.

"We are quite patient, I retired in 2013 but didn't get paid. In 2016, I was offered the P5 program to be paid in part and promised to be paid in 2018. Before 2018 there was PKPU, we will continue to try, even though we don't talk about deadlines, we will try everything through legal channels," he said.

Because of that, Eddy also asked for the generosity of the country's leaders, from President Joko Widodo, Minister of SOEs Erick Thohir, to Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati to immediately pay the remaining severance pay which is the right of former pilots and employees of Merpati Airlines.

"We employees and ex-pilots want to be paid for (assets) to be sold, or with a bailout from the government, whatever it is clear that we (want to) be paid for. That's why we ask President Jokowi, Erick Thohir, Sri Mulyani to be touched, even though there are not many (nominal) ," he said.

As is known, Merpati Airlines itself has stopped operating since 2014. In the closed condition, Merpati Airlines still has problems paying the remaining severance pay for former pilots and employees, which totals Rp318 billion for 1,233 people.

The Ministry of SOEs took steps to restructure Merpati Airlines through PT Perusahaan Penglola Aset (PPA) with a state capital participation (PMN) scheme of IDR 500 billion.

Last year, a number of former Merpati Air pilots who were members of the Ex Merpati Pilots Association (PPEM) sent an open letter to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to demand their severance rights which had not been fully paid by the state-owned company. The letter was sent since June 17, 2021 and has received a receipt.

However, until now there is no clarity regarding the payment of the remaining severance pay of Rp. 318 billion for the 1,233 former employees of Merpati Airlines.