Severance Pay For Former Merpati Airlines Employees Worth IDR 318 Billion, Potentially Unpaid

Photo: VOI/Mary Handayani

JAKARTA - The severance pay for former Merpati employees reached Rp318 billion for 1,233 employees, the company has not paid since 2014.

In fact, the severance pay has the potential not to be paid after the Surabaya District Court (PN) decided Merpati Airlines to go bankrupt.

One of the Advocacy Teams for former Merpati employees, David Sitorus, said that if the severance payment was processed through the curator using the bankruptcy law, it could potentially experience delays, even if it was not paid by the debtor.

Because, when referring to the bankruptcy law, former Merpati employees are not a priority.

"It could be that the assets are sold, the employees will be placed in the third party, there may be no payment. If the meeting is handed over to the curator and our client's bankruptcy law is not a priority," David told reporters quoted on Friday, June 24.

Merpati Airlines' obligations to third parties, including ex-employee severance pay, will be settled through the sale of all company assets. The asset sale process will be carried out using an auction mechanism.

This step is in accordance with the determination of the Surabaya District Court (PN) by taking into account aspects of justice for all parties. Where, all parties are expected to respect and support the ongoing legal process.

David said that the bankruptcy law put the position of former Merpati employees under a separatist creditor. This position is considered not to be a priority for the debtor.

Moreover, said David, when assets are sold, those who will receive funds from the sale of assets are parties holding collateral such as PT PPA, Bank Mandiri, Pertamina and many more.

According to him, this is in stark contrast to the SOE minister's request, Erick Thohir, not to be cruel to former Merpati Airl employees.

"So, let's see what this looks like. I can't say more but I hope that Mr. Erick Thohir's statement is full of sincerity, because this PPA is also the recipient of a mandate from the Minister of SOEs and the Minister of Finance," he said.

Compared to the asset sales mechanism, former Merpati Airlines employees prefer bailouts. Because, if you wait for assets to be sold, it will take longer and can even reach 5 to 6 years.

"Now these assets are in the hands of the government and the government can sell them, so let's make a bailout first, like the Lapindo case, the Jiwasraya state case lowered IDR 22 trillion for consumers without any kind of trial," he said.

The Government Has No Intention To Pay Severance Pay Of Rp318 Billion

David assessed that so far the government had no intention of paying severance pay of Rp318 billion to former Merpati Airlines employees.

This is reflected in the lack of clarity on severance payments to date. In fact, Merpati Airlines has stopped operating since 2014.

"So far, there has been no intention. Since 2014 it has been empty, there has not been a single set of intentions," he said.

According to David, his party has also been trying to meet with SOE Minister Erick Thohir for a long time.

However, according to David, Erick Thohir did not want to meet the former Merpati Airlines employee.

In fact, continued David, he had tried to meet with Erick Thohir with the facilitation of Komnas HAM. Unfortunately, the letter sent by Komnas HAM did not receive an answer from Erick Thohir.

"We have asked to meet with Mr. Erick, but Mr. Erick never wanted to meet with us. We have sent (a letter), then we have gone to Komnas HAM, Komnas HAM has asked for information from the Minister of SOEs at that time. But the written statement was not the SOE minister answered. Now we go to the DPR, the DPR has said please escort the bankruptcy of PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines to fulfill employee severance pay," he said.

VOI has tried to contact the Special Staff of the Minister of SOEs, Arya Sinulingga to confirm the statement by the attorney for the former Merpati Airlines employee. However, until this news was written, there has been no response from the person concerned.